


Wild Child

by LittleCharlie



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Adulthood, Childhood, F/M, Growing Up Together, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-08
Updated: 2015-08-08
Packaged: 2018-04-13 14:05:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 26,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4524837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleCharlie/pseuds/LittleCharlie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lin takes a look at her relationship with the wild child of Avatar Aang from the time they were children. Multi-chapter snapshots of Lin and Bumi growing up and eventually falling in love. Will include slight Bumi/OCs, Lin/Tenzin, Tenzin/Pema, and eventual Lin/Bumi ( Linzen, Pemzin, Linumi ) This story is officially AU due to Season 2 and 3 reveals.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Her Parents' Fault

The formation of their friendship was all her parents' fault, of that she was certain. Her bond with her mother, and his with her father, and her parents' bond since long before she was born or they married, had been the key element needed to start their friendship.

As she developed from babyhood to toddler, she and Tenzin found themselves placed together more often than not, mostly due to their closeness in age. She had little to do with his brother, who was three years older than he and four years older than she. The most she saw of him was his constant pranks and teasing, and the most she heard of him was his vibrant laughter or the adults' exasperated fondness.

She was two when she first saw the looks aimed at the six-year-old Bumi. Tenzin had just bent air for the first time at age three and eight-year-old Kya had daily water bending lessons with her mother. Bumi, however, did not have lessons, and had not shown off any bending at all. It was unusual for him not to show off, or to use his bending to help him pull off his pranks. As the elated hugging died down with the revelation of Tenzin's airbending, Lin saw the looks Aunt Katara and Uncle Aang shot Bumi, and she couldn't help but be curious. They looked the same way that Daddy looked when she called him Daddy, as though they were happy and sad at the same time. She couldn't understand why they would look at Bumi that way, and wondered if Bumi was sick.

Walking home that night, between her Mama and Daddy, she decided to ask.

"Mama, is Bumi sick?" Daddy stumbled, and Mama frowned.

"Of course not. Katara wouldn't have let him play today if he was. Why?" Lin frowned; there went that theory.

"Aunt Katara and Uncle Aang were giving him funny looks, like the kind Daddy gives me when I call him Daddy. And Tenzin was showing off his airbending all day and Bumi hasn't showed off his bending at all and Bumi's more likely to show off than Tenzin is, especially when other people are showing off." She explained, hoping her mother would have an answer.

And that was how she learned that some people could bend, and some people could not. It was also when she found out that, like Bumi, Daddy couldn't bend either. It wasn't until a week later that they sat her down to talk to her about how Sokka wasn't really her father. She had responded with all the childhood naivety she possessed when she told them that of course he was her Daddy because he helped raise her and he played with her and bought her things, just like other Daddies did for their children. When they reminded her that Uncle Aang did those things with her too, she shook her head firmly and told them that it was different. Uncle Aang was Kya, and Bumi, and Tenzin's Daddy. She had continued on until her mother, frustrated, had thrown her hands up and stalked off. Daddy had given her a hug before following.

When she was told that her Daddy was going to have another kid, his 'first real kid' her mother had put in snidely, she had been heartbroken and had run away. Her mother's friend from the police station, who she would later learn was her mother's Assistant Chief of Police, found her hours later, long after it had gotten dark, shaking from the cold and fear, with tear tracks on her face. When he asked her why she had run away, the whole story had come spilling out, about how her Daddy was going to have his own kid and how he wouldn't want her calling him Daddy anymore and how he wouldn't have time for her anymore. Harold, as he said his name was, listened quietly as he carried her home. When they were a block away, and her breathing had calmed, he paused.

"You know," he said quietly. "I have two babies of my own. Now I don't know what your Daddy's like, but me I love both my babies. When my little boy came along, I didn't love him any more or less than I did my girl, and I didn't love her any less now that I had someone else to love. My heart grew bigger so I could love them both just as much as the other, with as much love as I had for one. You understand?"

"So…" she began hesitantly. "You don't think he'll love me any less just because he has another kid? Even if I'm not really his kid to start with?" She asked hopefully.

"I can almost guarantee it." Harold said, nodding. "And I bet you, if you ask him, he'll say the same thing."

"I probably shoulda asked him before I ran away." She admitted sheepishly. "Mama's probably really mad at me."

"Nah, she was just scared something had happened to you." She stared at him, wide-eyed.

"Mama's not scared of anything." She denied vehemently.

"Mama's scared of losing you." Her mother's voice came from in front of them. She spun around to see her Mama and Da-Sokka standing not far in front of them.

"Evening Ma'am," Harold began cheerfully, "I think I have something here that belongs to you."

"Watch it Harold." Mama warned, but there was a relieved happiness there that Lin had never heard before. Harold set her down and Lin instantly darted into her mother's open arms.

"Do that again, and you'll be put in a metal box until you're thirty." Her mother warned. Lin smiled.

"Yes Mama." She agreed. Her mother scooped her up.

"Go back to your family Harold, and thank you."

"Anytime, Chief. Anytime." The man said sincerely. "Bye little miss."

"Bye!" Lin called back as her mother walked back to their house.

She had been treated to a long talk about how she wasn't to run away ever again and how much they had worried. Sokka had tried to talk to her about it, but even with Officer Harold's word running through her mind, her mother's comments about how he wasn't her Daddy had finally hit its mark, and she brushed him off. In her head, she still called him Daddy, but out loud, she called him Sokka, refusing to add the Uncle no matter what. He wasn't her uncle, but he wasn't her daddy either anymore. He began to visit less, only seeing them when he was at Uncle Aang and Aunt Katara's island and her and Mama were too and she knew that her Mama was sad.

It was many months later that he showed up on their doorstep again; rain was pouring down and he didn't have a coat. Her mother scolded him but he didn't seem to hear. When her mother demanded to know what was wrong, all he could say was "Suki…the baby…Oh, Spirits, Toph…" Her mother seemed to understand what Lin could not, and her mother shooed her off to bed while she tended to Sokka.

A few days later, Lin attended her first funeral, standing beside her mother, who was supporting the grieving Sokka. She watched as a lady wearing lots of make-up and a dress was lowered into the earth in a traditional Earth Kingdom burial. The baby that Sokka had been expecting had died with its mother.

After that, Lin began to see him more frequently. Her mother insisted he move in with either them or Aunt Katara instead of living by himself, and to Lin's secret delight, he'd chosen them. He was there when she learned that she could earthbend, and he was there when Bumi tugged on her hair after she made him trip when he teased her. It was a whole year before she felt secure enough to attempt calling him Daddy again, and the tears in his eyes had almost made her change her mind. When he hugged her tightly, however, she relaxed happily.

Bumi continued to tease her incessantly, and she began to try to irritate him as well. When she was five and he was nine, their real rivalry started and escalated throughout the year. He had begun to cling to her Daddy more and more, and though Daddy had explained that it was because he could not bend, Lin had grown more and more jealous. They began to fight any time they were in the same room, and his pranks shifted focus so that instead of everyone getting pranked, with a slight focus on Tenzin, she was the only one who was pranked time and time again.

Finally, it seemed as though everyone had had enough of their bickering. It was a month after her sixth birthday, and her mother had come into her room early in the morning to demand she pack a backpack of clothes and come outside. She'd stumbled through the task before heading outside. Her mother had checked her pack and nodded her approval and then they were heading to the ferry. Daddy was waiting for them at the dock. At his side, to Lin's horror, was Bumi. She and Bumi exchanged mutual glares before obediently getting in the metal boat waiting, which was barely big enough for the four of them. Daddy began to row, and soon he was talking out loud about how to best steer the boat. She quickly lost interest, but Bumi looked like he was fascinated. By the end of the day, Daddy had switched places with Bumi, and Bumi was the one rowing the boat. It wasn't as smooth of a ride as when Daddy was rowing, but even she had to admit that Bumi was doing well. When they docked at the end of the day, Daddy had set up a tent for he and Bumi while Mama had made rock tents for Lin and herself. Then Mama bent the boat into the ground for storage and Daddy told them that they'd be walking from here on out. Then Mama and Bumi had gone to gather wood for the fire while she and Daddy had begun to prepare dinner. Daddy showed them how to light a fire, and Lin fell into her tent when dinner was done, exhausted.

The trip that followed was one that Lin remembered with the deepest of fondness. She and Bumi had still argued, but the walking and tasks that her mother and father gave them left them with little time or energy to fight. Soon enough, the fights stopped altogether, becoming a waste of precious energy. Then her mother and father had begun setting them tasks to do together. At first, it had been tense, but they'd grown comfortable with each other in time. Almost as a reward, the exhausting tasks had stopped and her father had begun teaching Bumi the art of the sword. Lin would sit and watch from the sidelines, fascinated. Her mother would take the time to practice her own bending, of which she had taught Lin nothing, insisting that it wasn't yet time. She watched as her father showed Bumi the correct way to grip a sword, how to use it as an extension of himself, all with a stick rather than a real sword. Later that night, when everyone was asleep, she snuck off and found a stick of her own in the woods, attempting to copy what her father had taught Bumi. Each night, she did the same, until her father began to notice that she was losing sleep.

"Are you sleeping alright, Lin?" He'd asked. She assured him that she was asleep as soon as her head hit the ground, which she was. He seemed to believe her and she relaxed. Still, she was extra careful when she snuck off that night. Not as careful as her six-year-old brain would like her to believe, she later found, as her father snuck after her and watched as she practiced the latest moves she'd seen. He'd stepped out of the bushes, but she didn't see him until she pivoted during a move he'd taught Bumi and froze when she finally caught sight of him. She studied him for a moment, wondering if he was mad. He didn't look mad. But when he opened his mouth, she couldn't help but blurt out a "Please don't be mad". He'd looked faintly amused then and shook his head.

"I'm not mad." He'd said.

Afterwards, she'd joined he and Bumi in their daily sword lessons, with the only comment from her mother being that the footwork required for swordplay had better not interfere with her earthbending training later. Bumi had teased her at first, thinking that she would be behind, but her father's command for a quick bout to see what they both knew led to Bumi having both a greater respect for her and a stinging hand. She'd grinned and taunted him, which had led to a lecture from her father about being a good winner as well as a good loser and then challenging her to a bout himself. She'd quickly regretted her comments, though she could tell her father was taking it easy on her.

When they'd finally reached their destination, she was thrilled to learn that she would finally be learning earthbending. She could tell the Bumi was disappointed that she wouldn't be at sword lessons anymore but she was determined to do both. They were both surprised, then, when her father handed his sword to Bumi, and a spare sword from his pack to Lin before beginning to set up camp. Before either of them could begin to help, her mother was ushering them off. She led them to a set of caves, and then inside. When they were deep enough in, her mother informed them that they were to find their own way out, and that the cave walls moved, and that she was to learn earthbending in the process. She'd demanded to know how she would do that, and her mother had cryptically informed her that there were teachers in the caverns before disappearing into the earth below.

While Bumi and Lin had come to a tentative truce before, their experience in those caves was what started, and strengthened, their friendship. They bickered and fought like they hadn't since leaving Republic City, they found out who, or rather what, her mother meant by teachers, and they saved each other's life at least once apiece. When they finally exited the caves, Lin having earthbent them out, a bond had been forged between them that would not be broken by anything.

Which was why Lin blamed her parents for her friendship with the wild child of Avatar Aang.


	2. Growing Up Wild

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lin and Bumi grow up together from ages 6 and 10 to ages 18 and 22.

Lin remembered clearly the first thing out of Aunt Katara's mouth when they returned to Air Temple Island. She and Bumi had been laughing together over her father's latest mishap when they'd pulled up to shore.

"What did you two do to them?" The exclamation had come before Aunt Katara had even realized what she was saying. Her father snorted and her mother grinned slyly before leaning forward conspiratorially.

"I buried them alive until I thought they learned their lesson and they were so traumatized when they got out that their personalities had switched." Her mother mock-whispered. Lin hadn't been able to stop from snickering and Bumi had laughed his wild laugh. Lin saw Tenzin glance at her curiously, but any inclination she may have felt to join him was dashed when her father had announced that they were going to have a practice now, since they had been in the boat all day. Her mother had snorted but followed when her father led them to the flat pavilion on the cliffside. Aunt Katara was questioning what type of practice they were going to do, since neither Bumi nor her father could bend, but no one answered her until they were on the pavilion, and her father had pulled out the two swords.

"Sokka! What were you thinking!" Aunt Katara demands, beginning to yell about being too young and getting hurt. She and Bumi exchanged a worried look, wondering if they would be told they couldn't learn to use swords anymore. There was a loud argument, but eventually Aunt Katara was persuaded to watch while they sparred. Bumi glanced at Lin, and they both acknowledged that they had to do their absolute best.

They both performed at their absolute best and then turned, panting and hopeful, to Aunt Katara. She was staring at them, an undecipherable emotion in her eyes. Lin saw her father's soft pride in his eyes, and Tenzin and Kya's awe.

"Please let us keep practicing, Mom!" Bumi pleaded. Lin nodded emphatically.

"Please! Swords aren't so bad! They're safer than learning to earthbend!" She ignored Bumi's suddenly pale expression of horror. "We almost got squashed during the cave-ins!"

"Toph!" Aunt Katara shouted furiously. Her father looked to the sky as though pleading for help.

"Katara…" he began.

"What was my son doing, participating in Lin's earthbending training!" Aunt Katara demanded. Lin shot a confused look at Bumi.

"Mom's gonna kill Uncle Sokka and Aunt Toph." He mumbled to her. Her eyes widened and she glanced back to where Aunt Katara was shouting. Her father was trying to calm his sister, while her mother rolled her unseeing eyes.

"Enough, Sugar Queen!" Her mother finally said. "I was with them the whole time; they weren't in any danger."

"You were?" Lin and Bumi chorused. They received an amused look from her as a result.

"Of course I was. You think I was going to leave a six and ten year old by themselves in endless caves filled with who-knows-what?" This was addressed to Aunt Katara, who looked sheepish.

"We know what." Bumi muttered to her with a snicker and she grinned faintly. It was true. They had encountered all types of things in those caves.

"Fine! Fine, you can keep training Bumi in using a sword. But I'd better not catch one scratch on him Sokka, or so help me…" Aunt Katara warned. Bumi and Lin breathed out relieved sighs and exchanged grins.

And life continued on as normal for Lin, with the addition of the ever-cheerful Bumi. When she started earthbending school, he was the one she went to when she grew frustrated with a move or when the other kids scorned her because her mother had arrested someone close to them.

"They're just jealous that your mom's so awesome." Bumi would say, or "Your mom's proud of you, even if you can't do every earthbending move." And then he would act silly or prank someone and she would laugh and everything would be alright again.

Their sword training with her Dad continued, growing more advanced the longer it went on. By two years in, she and Bumi could hold their own when they fought against her father together. When they were alone, however, he beat them every time, even if there were close calls. Then, one day, Bumi managed to beat him. It might have been that her dad was distracted by the upcoming important trial concerning the triads, or it could be that he was getting tired after fighting her previously, but Bumi managed it with one lucky move. All three of them stood in shock for a moment before her father grinned broadly.

"Well done, Bumi." He said firmly. Bumi was still staring in shock and Lin couldn't help but giggle at his face. He turned to her, and then grinned at seeing confirmation of his victory on her face. "We'll have to make your lessons more challenging from now on." He told them with a grin. They groaned theatrically, but exchanged bigger grins.

"Snoozles!" Her mother's voice rang from the doorway to the house. Uncle Aang waited with her mother, both ready to go.

"Looks like that's it for today. Make sure you clean your swords and then put them up like we practiced." Dad told them firmly.

"Aren't you going to help?" Bumi asked. Dad grinned wryly.

"I've got to go. We're already running low on time to get there." Lin frowned in confusion.

"Don't worry, Lin, I'll take care of your sword for you." Bumi offered.

"Actually, Lin's going to spend the night here so there's no need for that." Her dad interrupted uncomfortably. Both turned to him in surprise.

"I am?" Lin asked. He shifted slightly.

"Yeah, your mom and I thought you might like it." She frowned.

"You're lying." She accused uncertainly, her seismic sense barely acceptable.

"Don't you want to?" He asked pointedly. She sighed and nodded, accepting that she was wrong again.

"Don't worry, Lin. You'll get the hang of it." Bumi comforted. Her dad dropped a kiss on her head.

"Be good." He teased, heading off. Lin saw Uncle Aang blow his bison whistle.

"C'mon, let's get these cleaned." Bumi encouraged, and she nodded. As they passed closer to where her parents were standing, they heard low murmurs that they could just make out.

"…overreacting…perfectly fine…handle it…Twinkletoes." her mother was saying.

"…blood…This…precaution…" Uncle Aang responded tiredly. She and Bumi exchanged a curious look but kept going. Her mother would know if they tried to eavesdrop.

They easily cleaned and put away their swords before going in for lunch. Aunt Katara had made a fruit salad that they both inhaled. Aunt Katara, who still disapproved of their use of swords though she had grown to mostly accept it, clucked over their hunger while Lin and Bumi exchanged hidden grins when she refilled their bowls. Kya rolled her eyes and finished her lunch hurriedly before telling her mother she was going into the city. Bumi made kissing noises which earned him a dirty look and blushing cheeks from Kya. Aunt Katara opened her mouth but Kya was already out the door. Lin could see the worry on her Aunt's face, and her suspicion grew.

Lin tried asking Aunt Katara to take the three of them into the city to get some treats, but Aunt Katara dodged the attempt and insisted that she'd make fruit pies, Uncle Aang's recipe, instead. Then she insisted that the kids go for a swim. This caused Bumi's suspicion to rise; his head snapped to Lin incredulously. Aunt Katara knew that Lin did not like to go swimming, even though she, unlike her mother, could. Lin took the excuse and rose, leaving her bowl. Bumi and Tenzin followed her easily. Unfortunately for any plans the trio might have thought of, Aunt Katara sent a few Air Acolytes with them. So, grudgingly, Lin changed into the swimming clothes that Aunt Katara kept for her and went out to meet the boys.

They only spent an hour or so in the water; Kya liked to swim more than either of the other three. Then the three played Seek and Find, Tenzin and Lin had a mock-bending battle while Bumi was judge, and Bumi teased Tenzin mercilessly. They all teased Kya when she returned and headed straight for her room with a roll of her eyes and a sappy grin still on her face.

It wasn't until just after dusk, the lanterns outside allowing them to see and the dark helping make their game of Seek and Find even more challenging, that they realized something was wrong. Aunt Katara came outside with a chair, her eyes scanning the horizon worriedly every few minutes. It was Bumi who first realized what was wrong.

"Dad should've been back by now." He murmured lowly to Lin and Tenzin. The two exchanged worried looks and the three headed over to sit on the ground at Aunt Katara's feet. She glanced down at them in surprise before her eyes softened in understanding.

"I'm sure they're fine." She told them softly, her eyes betraying her.

"Liar." Lin whispered quietly, worry in her voice. Aunt Katara huffed a laugh, and they all fell silent. Lin leaned against Bumi, feeling his arm wrap around her comfortingly. His other arm held Tenzin close on his other side, their rivalry and teasing forgotten for the moment. After about ten minutes, Tenzin pulled away and began trying to meditate like his father always showed him. It was Lin who saw it first, the bison rising from the city. "There!" She cried. "Look!"

"They're okay." Aunt Katara breathed in relief. She rose and headed inside to begin dinner, while the three children, Tenzin having been roughly shaken from his meditation by Bumi, raced for the cliffs to better watch their parents' approach. As they moved ever closer, Lin noticed something strange.

"Where's my mom and dad?" She asked worriedly, seeing only Uncle Aang in the saddle on Appa's back. They exchanged looks.

"Run for Mom, T." Bumi instructed firmly. Tenzin nodded and bolted, using an air-scooter to move faster.

Aunt Katara and Tenzin reached the door just as Uncle Aang was landing. Aunt Katara ushered Tenzin out while Uncle Aang and Aunt Katara headed inside briefly. Bumi, Lin, and Tenzin snuck back inside and pressed their ears to the door, confident in the fact that Uncle Aang's seismic sense was not as good as Lin's mother's.

"…bended them. I was able to catch up to him and take his bending away, but Sokka, Toph, her officers and the other Councilmen are still unconscious. Harold is in charge temporarily and he's getting the uniforms off Toph and the rest of the police force who were present."

"I'll need to bring Kya along. She's far enough know that she'll be able to help. I'd have to tell her about it anyway. What about the other children? If we leave them here without someone to watch them, they'll just sneak off anyway. You know Lin is going to be worried about Sokka and Toph."

"I know. We'll have one of the Acolytes watch them. They should eat and go to bed soon anyway."

"I suppose so. I'll go grab Kya, you grab the others. We need to hurry." There was a deep worry in Aunt Katara's voice.

"Sokka and Toph are going to be just fine, Katara. He just wanted them unconscious long enough to get away."

"I know." She agreed, but some of the worry had lessened. Bumi and Lin exchanged a look before grabbing Tenzin and dragging him away from the door. They stood outside the main door, knowing Uncle Aang would find it suspicious if they were not waiting anxiously for news. Lin forced herself to look worried, which wasn't really that hard, as the door opened.

"Where's Mom and Dad? Are they okay? Why didn't they come back with you?" She demanded.

"Your parents are fine, Lin. There was an incident at the trial, and they're unconscious, but they're going to be fine. I just want Katara to look everyone over because the person who was on trial used a form of waterbending to knock them unconscious." He explained calmly. She opened her mouth but he raised a hand to cut her off. "I'm going to take Katara and Kya to the courthouse with me to take a look at your parents and the others. You three have to stay here. We'll come get you when your parents wake up." She scowled but nodded, hearing her mother's voice in her head. _'Things get done faster when people who can't help don't get in the way.'_

"Okay." She allowed grudgingly, stalking inside. She heard Bumi objecting loudly while Tenzin followed her. He sat down on the floor and began to meditate while she paced angrily. Minutes later, Bumi came in frowning and she heard a roar as Appa took off again.

"They're gonna be fine, Lin." Bumi said firmly. He proceeded to joke and fool around, trying anything to make her laugh. She was smiling by the time one of the Acolytes came to get them for dinner. They had just finished dinner when they heard Appa roar outside. The feel of the earth rumbling under her feet made Lin grin broadly and bolt from the room, into her parents' arms.

In the aftermath of the trial, Lin clung to both her parents, which was fairly easy since they were clinging to each other. Her father was at their stone house whenever he wasn't at work. Sometimes, he spent the night there when he was too tired to go home.

Eventually, life got back to normal. Lin was happily surprised, though, when, even after she stopped clinging to them, her father still came around constantly. When her mother blushed faintly when the topic was brought up, Lin had a sneaking suspicion as to why, and told Bumi. The two grinned and got to plotting, arranging it so that her parents were pushed together as much as possible. It took time, but a year and a half after the trial, her parents announced that they were going to get married.

Aunt Katara insisted that, as chief of police and councilman, the two had to have a big wedding, so the planning took months. But the party with just family and friends after the big celebration was amazing. She hardly ever got to see Uncle Zuko or Aunt Mai, and she didn't really remember ever meeting their daughter Ursa. Aunt Ty Lee was a blast to see as she made Lin's dad go bright red. The dancing started and Bumi and she laughed at everyone, until her dad made her dance with him and Aunt Katara made Bumi dance with her. Then they were the ones being laughed at. Still, the only real downside to the party was how much attention Bumi was paying Ursa. He kept telling Lin how pretty Ursa was, but turned red when Ursa complimented him on his skills with a sword. He hadn't even turned that red when Uncle Zuko had said he should join the United Forces when he was older! It made no sense to Lin at all, but he was paying attention to Ursa and mostly ignoring her, and she didn't like it. So as much as she'd missed Uncle Zuko and Aunt Mai, she was glad when they left, though Bumi was disappointed.

He shook it off quickly though, and life got back to normal once again.

The next big event in their lives came a year later. Bumi was fifteen and Lin was eleven. That was the year that Bumi started dating. He'd met Her at the park they sometimes went to so they could practice without Aunt Katara's disapproving eyes. They used staffs because Uncle Sokka made them promise not to use the real swords without him with them, even if they had been practicing for five years now. She'd been there the day that they met, watching in annoyance while they flirted, snapping icily when The Girl commented about how cute it was that he was helping his sister learn to fight. He'd dragged her home grumpily, but her interruption hadn't stopped them. She was there the day he brought Her home to meet his parents, watching with scorn when The Girl fawned over her parents and Uncle Aang and Aunt Katara.

They broke up soon enough, but not without the first fight between Bumi and Lin that had occurred in years. Lin had demanded that her parents take her home, and she'd cried once she was in her room. Her father had come in and tried to comfort her, but she shook him off.

Bumi had apologized, and Lin had reciprocated, but there was a distance there that hadn't been there before. Lin blamed The Girl for that, but she stayed silent, even when Bumi commented later that it was an insult to Lin that had caused the breakup. Lin didn't care about the insult, but she did care that Bumi had defended her even though they were fighting.

The months passed and Lin started hanging out more with Tenzin to fill the gap left by Bumi. She treasured their sword lessons because it was the only time she got to spend any time with him anymore.

On Kya's eighteenth birthday, they were working on their swordplay as the other adults prepared for the huge party. Bumi had progressed to a double-ended sword, which had tripped up her sword more than once, giving him the victory. Her father's Black Sword was put up for now, which had caused Bumi much disappointment despite the opportunity to work with a different kind of sword.

"Sokka! Come here for a second, will you?" Aunt Katara called. Her father frowned faintly, but nodded.

"You two have been working with swords for six years. I hope you both know not to play around with your sword." They both nodded solemnly and watched as he headed inside.

"You'd think we were babies." Bumi scoffed with a grin. She smiled back. "Oh, guess what?"

"The mountain men who abandoned you as a baby decided they wanted you back." She retorted with a grin, teasing him for the beard he insisted on, trying to copy her father without shaving most of his wild hair off. He snorted and rolled his eyes.

"No." He said, his voice a whine. "I managed to figure out the last piece of the invention I was working on." He explained. Her eyes lit up.

"Really? Bumi, that's great!" She exclaimed. His pout disappeared, eyes lighting up.

"I know! It just needed a bit of work, that's all. I'll get it and show it to you." He hopped up immediately, sword falling to the ground. Hearing it clang, he hesitated.

"Go on!" She encouraged. "I'll watch it while you go grab your invention. It's not like it's going to run off, and by the time you put it away and get back here with the invention, Dad'll be back." He grinned and bolted easily. While she sat, waiting for him, Tenzin came by.

"Aren't you guys supposed to be practicing?" His voice was bitter. She frowned at him.

"Aunt Katara needed Dad and Bumi ran inside real quick." She said.

"And left his sword lying on the ground gathering dust." Tenzin said scornfully. "I don't know why Uncle Sokka lets him play soldier. He's too irresponsible to ever be a real soldier."

"Bumi will be a great soldier!" She snapped, angry. "He's better with a sword than you ever could be!" Tenzin's face turned red.

"I doubt it. If someone like Bumi can learn how to use a sword, I certainly can." Her blood boiled.

"What's that supposed to mean, 'someone like Bumi'?" She demanded furiously. He shrugged nonchalantly.

"Well, he's not a bender, is he?" He said, as though it were obvious. She couldn't help but gape at him in shock, unable to move. He took advantage of her horror to grab Bumi's sword from the ground. She snapped out of her shock quickly and lunged forward, but he dodged back. She hesitated, not wanting to earthbend him for fear of him hurting himself. As much as she was angry at him, she didn't want him to chop his own foot off or something.

It was clear to her that he was struggling. The sword was almost too heavy for her to lift, so of course it was too heavy for the airbender who did little physical exercise.

"Just put it down before you hurt yourself!" She snapped, stepping forward.

"Shut up!" He snapped, waving the sword at her as though she were a fly he was trying to wave away. The sword was longer than he thought, and the weight caused the sword to come down faster than he could stop. She screamed as the right side of her face exploded in pain.

"Lin!" She heard Bumi shout. "What in the name of the Spirits did you think you were doing?" The snarl was directed at Tenzin, but unless she'd passed out of consciousness, he didn't wait for an answer. He was kneeling on the ground, scooping her up into his arms. "Linny!" He murmured worriedly. She sobbed and curled up into his chest, throwing her arms around his neck. She could feel the pulsing of the blood as it flowed from her cheek. "Get Mom!" Bumi snarled. She heard Tenzin shouting as he ran, but she just curled tighter around Bumi. "It's gonna be alright, Lin. Mom's coming and she'll fix you right up, you'll see. Come on, Linny, you're gonna be fine." His voice soothed her, even if she could hear the fear and the tears in his voice. She heard the exclamations of the adults, heard them yelling. It took her a moment to realize her dad was yelling at Bumi, that they were trying to pry her away from him.

"No!" She screamed, clinging to him tighter. She felt his own arms tighten around her, but he wasn't defending himself. They thought Bumi had cut her.

"Bumi didn't do it." Tenzin blurted out. A moment of silence followed, but then she felt a soft hand on her shoulder and turned her head, not moving from Bumi's arms. Aunt Katara's soft eyes met hers.

"I need to heal your cut, Lin. You can stay with Bumi but I need you to let me see." Lin hesitated but nodded and shifted in Bumi's arms so that Aunt Katara could get to her cuts. She heard everyone except her mother hiss as the right side of her face was revealed, along with Bumi's blood-soaked shirt.

"What do you mean, Bumi didn't do it?" Her father demanded, face furious and wild, his voice cold as ice. She saw Bumi flinch and Tenzin shudder before gathering himself.

"Bumi didn't do it." He repeated, voice shrinking as he spoke. "I did." He admitted quietly. Everyone turned to him in shock. "I just…I only wanted… I didn't mean to! It was an accident, I swear!" He exclaimed, voice shaking and tears beginning to fall. She saw her father swallow hard, closing his eyes briefly before turning to her and Bumi.

"What happened?" He demanded, staring at Bumi.

"I…I don't know." He admitted lowly. "I wasn't here when it happened." Lin saw her father grit his teeth, but her mother stepped forward before he could say anything else.

"Sokka." He let out an explosive sigh and nodded. "Lin, tell me what happened." Lin took a deep breath, focused her gaze on her mother's unseeing eyes, and told her what happened from the time her father left until Tenzin cut her. She repeated every word of their argument. By the time she was done, everyone was staring at either her or Tenzin, white-faced. Bumi was stiff beside her and Aunt Katara had sat back, no longer healing her cuts.

"Tenzin." Uncle Aang's voice sounded before either of her parents could get their wits back. "Go to your room and stay there. I will come speak with you later." Lin could see that the heavy disappointment in Uncle Aang's voice cut Tenzin deep, and he slunk off without a word. To break up the tension, Bumi swooped down and placed a playful, smacking kiss on her cheek with a cry of "My hero!". Unfortunately, it was the wrong cheek and she let out a soft cry of pain. He immediately began apologizing worriedly.

"Katara." Her mother's amused voice cut through Bumi's apologizing. Aunt Katara, who had been smiling a moment before, shook her head with a sigh.

"I'm afraid I've done all I can." The woman admitted.

"What does that mean?" Her father demanded. Bumi's arms tightened around her. Aunt Katara sighed again.

"I've managed to stop the bleeding and repair the torn muscles, but there will be some soreness for the next day or so on that side of her face. Also…" she hesitated.

"What is it, Katara?" Her mother demanded worriedly.

"The blades went in too deep. With time and a few more healings, I can minimize the scarring, but there will be scarring."

Tenzin's scolding, his father talking too low to hear and his mother yelling loud enough that everyone on the Isle could hear, caused even Bumi and her father to wince in sympathy. She and Bumi were told that they wouldn't be practicing for a while, and neither one objected. Lin didn't mind, because the distance caused by The Girl was gone now, forgotten in the face of her injury. Personally, Lin was just grateful they hadn't been banned altogether. It was her mother's reaction once they were in private with her father that caused her to understand just how lucky she had been.

Her mother had run a hand over the twin scars running down her face. She hovered over the area between the top of the scar and Lin's right eye.

"It could have been worse." Her mother informed her quietly, pulling her hand away. Lin slid her own hand up to the top of the raised skin and found barely an inch of skin between the two parts of her face. If the sword had struck just an inch up, she might have lost her sight in her right eye.

"It could have been worse." She agreed, echoing her mother.

A month later, she and Bumi had gotten over the trauma and wanted to get back to sword-fighting. Unfortunately, the adults had not gotten over it and so the two had taken to going to the public park and sparring with staffs again. It was awkward at first, the park bringing the memory of The Girl and their distance to their minds, but the awkwardness always disappeared when they started sparring.

They'd been coming to the park every day for a week when they were interrupted by a group of five boys Bumi's age. One, obviously the leader, shouted.

"Hey!" Lin paused but Bumi caught her eye and shook his head. "Hey, mountain man! I'm talking to you!" Lin frowned at the teasing nickname she'd often used with Bumi coming out of the older boy's mouth in such an ugly way but Bumi shook his head again. "I guess being the Avatar's son isn't such a great thing after all. Not only do you not bend, you can't hear either." The boy's voice says mockingly. "I guess the bending skipped a child, huh mountain man? I know your little brother is almost a master airbender. And that gorgeous sister of yours flows so prettily." She saw Bumi's jaw tighten angrily at the mention of Kya that way. "Or maybe, the Spirits didn't think you were worthy of an element. That's what you are, Mountain Man. Worthless. I mean, think about it. Master Katara's got a healing pupil, and Avatar Aang's got an airbender to carry on his legacy. What do they need you for?" The other boys were laughing, and Lin couldn't help but spin on them all, furious.

"Shut up!" She snarled. "You don't know anything."

"Lin, just ignore them." Bumi said quietly behind her. Before she could respond, the other boy spoke up again.

"What's this then, mountain man? Got a girlfriend to fight your battles for you? She's a bit young, but I guess you've got to get to her before she realizes there are other guys out there better than you. Of course, you might be in luck. She's not so pretty anymore, they may not want her." The boy leaned in close to her. "Tell me, not-so-pretty girlfriend, did your mother give you those scars with those cables she swings around?" She snarled at him and he laughed. "What are you going to do, baby, bend me into the ground and then run and cry to mommy?"

"I don't need bending to beat slime like you." Lin sneered. The boy grabbed her by the back of the neck, and she cried out in pain.

"Oh no?" He taunted.

"No." Bumi snarled, and snapped his staff forward. Lin grabbed hers and she and Bumi fought back to back, as all five boys rushed them. They were crushed together, but she and Bumi worked like a team and eventually they managed to overpower all five of them, sending the other boys running. It was only then that she realized that she and Bumi were laughing. Her lip was split, and Bumi had a black eye, but she felt better now than she had all month. "We should get back," Bumi mentioned regretfully.

"Aunt Katara's gonna kill us." Lin commented with a grin and Bumi laughed.

"True." He admitted. They began to walk back to the ferry in silence. Bumi was the one who broke it. "You know what they said isn't true, right? About you not being pretty." He was blushing faintly and she could feel the heat spread over her own cheeks.

"It doesn't really matter. I don't care about being pretty." She shrugged it off. He paused, and she stopped too.

"I mean it. That scar just makes you look tough. You're the prettiest and the toughest girl I know." He said. Her cheeks were bright red, she knew, but she couldn't help but smile.

"Thanks, Bumi." His cheeks were red also.

"Yeah, well." He muttered uncomfortably, starting to walk again.

"And you know that Aunt Katara and Uncle Aang love you just as much as Kya and Tenzin, even if you aren't a bender, don't you?" She said after a moment. He hesitated. "Bumi!" She exclaimed.

"What? C'mon, Lin, everyone knows that Tenzin is Dad's favorite and Kya's Mom's." He said gruffly.

"Do you think I love Mom more than Dad?" She asked suddenly. He frowned faintly but answered.

"Of course not. You adore Uncle Sokka. Everyone knows that."

"But Mom is the one who can bend like I can. And you're the one who Dad shows his inventions and taught to use his boomerang and taught to row a boat." She explained. "Just because Uncle Aang has airbending stuff that he has to teach Tenzin, and Aunt Katara has stuff she teaches to Kya, it doesn't mean they love you any less." Bumi frowned thoughtfully and she allowed him to think it over. They reached the ferry and boarded. She waited with patience that she knew she hadn't received from her mother until just before the got off the boat at Air Temple Island. When they were on the dock, he stopped walking and she stopped also, turning to him.

"Thanks, Lin." He murmured, pulling her in for a hug. She hugged him back with a smile and they continued up to the main building where they were sure the adults were waiting for them.

"What in the name of the Spirits happened to you two?" Aunt Katara demanded when she saw their faces. Lin licked her split lip cheerfully before speaking.

"We kicked some butt." Bumi roared with laughter, a silent agreement between the two of them not to tell their parents what happened.

Time passed normally again, only marked by Bumi's numerous girlfriends and Tenzin's clumsy attempts to flirt with her. She teased Bumi about his flirtatious comments and blushed at Tenzin, feeling flutters in her stomach at his attentions. She couldn't help but feel the slightest bit irritated that Bumi never flirted with her. He flirted with every female that he met (including her mother!) except her, Kya and Aunt Katara. It was as though she were his sister or one of the boys, even though he'd told her she was pretty. Still, she forced herself not to cause any fights, even refraining from making snide comments about his multitude of girlfriends.

Sooner than she realized, it was his eighteenth birthday and he was officially an adult. To Bumi's surprise and delight, her father had given him Black Sword. Everyone else had known for weeks, and their presents reflected that. Lin had used her metalbending to fashion of scabbard for the sword out of anodized steel, making it as black as the sword itself and almost impossible to cut through. Bumi had immediately placed Black Sword in the scabbard and tied it to his waist. Everyone had admired it greatly.

Lin went to talk to Bumi after the party was almost over, and found him leaning against the wall, eating cake. She grinned up at him and he grinned back.

"Thanks for the scabbard. I didn't get to tell you earlier." He commented, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. She shook her head.

"It's fine. Lots of people wanted your attention, Mr. Respectable." She teased, referencing the multiple times people had asked him what he planned to do for a living. Kya had decided early on that she wanted to go to the Southern Water Tribe, which was still lacking healers even with the Northerners' help however many years ago. Bumi grimaced faintly.

"I think I prefer T's comments about my being irresponsible." He joked. She rolled her eyes at him playfully.

"What did Uncle Zuko want to talk to you about?" She asked instead. He frowned thoughtfully.

"He…uh…He asked me if I had considered joining the United Forces. With Uncle Sokka giving me Black Sword, and everyone else's presents, and our show at Uncle Sokka and Aunt Toph's wedding and today, he figured I'd be good at it."

"Have you?" She asked in surprise. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Well, yeah, I mean, he mentioned it before, at the wedding. I sorta looked into it a little bit. The only thing is that it's a six year contract every time. So if I sign up, even if I hate it, I have to keep doing it until my contract's up or I could be put in jail." He explains.

"You'd be gone for six years?" She asked in surprise. He grimaced faintly.

"Yeah, I don't like that part either. I wouldn't be able to visit unless the captain ordered us to stop at Republic City for something or I got some leave time." She studied him for a moment; he was avoiding her eyes.

"You want to go." She said simply.

"What? No! I…"

"Liar." She interrupted. He flushed and shrugged.

"I don't like that I couldn't see everybody, but I think I could be good at it." He explained. She sighed.

"You could still write." She suggested sadly. He grinned down at her faintly.

"Would you miss me if I did go, Linny?" He teased. She snorted.

"Not a bit, Sasquatch." She teased back. "I'd be glad not to see your hairy mug for six years." He pressed a hand to his chest as though he'd been stabbed, falling back against the wall dramatically, and she laughed.

"Don't worry, Linny, I'll be sticking around a bit longer anyway. Still don't know if I'm going to." He said, grinning.

"You will." She told him confidently. He grins and shakes his head, and they say no more about it.

It was a week later that Tenzin worked up the nerve to ask her out. She was so surprised that she agreed immediately, and she was even more surprised to find she actually had a good time with the solemn airbender.

It was a week after her date with Tenzin that she found a note slipped under the door addressed to Linny. It's from Bumi, telling her she was right to be so confident that he would join the United Forces. According to the letter, he'd left the night before, unable to bear saying goodbye to anyone. He promised to write.

She doesn't see him again until four years later, just before her eighteenth birthday. He's grown up more since she last saw him, standing proud in his uniform at Princess Ursa's wedding. They both have to save face during the reception, but even the guards are relaxed during the reception, except those on duty. She finds him in the crowd and heads toward him.

"Nice uniform, Sasquatch. Very respectable." She teases. He turns.

"Nice dress, Linny. Very girly." His eyes meet hers and, just like that, no time has passed. At eighteen and twenty-two, they laugh together as though they were six and ten.


	3. Life, Death, and Heartbreak

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lin and Bumi are now adults, and hard times are ahead.

The letters came once every two months after he left. She told him the tedious news, like the birth of the first child of the first child to be born on Air Temple Island (a little girl named Pema) which had caused Uncle Aang great joy, and the important news, like her and Tenzin's break-up. His letters alternated between telling her about his various romantic mishaps with female cadets and new fighting techniques that he'd learned.

Seeing him at Ursa's wedding made it clear that letters weren't the same, but it was the best they could get. She knew, even, that he would re-sign when his contract was up. She could tell from the way he spoke about everything that he loved every minute of it.

He didn't manage to make it to her eighteenth birthday party; he'd wanted to get a temporary leave to come home but he'd gotten into a fight with another cadet and hadn't been allowed.

He was the first to know (outside of her mother) when she was accepted into the Republic City Police Training Academy. When she graduated at the top of her class, he surprised her by attending her graduation. His contract was up, so he had the free time before he had to make a decision as to whether or not he'd go back.

"I still don't know if I'm going to." He told her, just as he had six years ago. She rolled her eyes at him.

"You will." She repeated, just as she had then. He grinned, recognizing the memory. "So how long are you here for, Private." She teased. His grin widened.

"Mom spread that around, huh?" She rolled her eyes.

"Of course she did. Did you expect her not to brag?" He shrugged, grin sheepish, and she laughed, shoving him playfully with her shoulder.

They talked and laughed, sneaking away to spar once the formal graduation got boring. Lin refused to use her bending on him the first time they fought, refusing to use an advantage that there was no way he could learn. When he beat her easily, she changed her mind.

"I'm out of practice fighting someone competent." She teased, covering. He laughed.

"No, you were holding back." He gave a challenging grin. "Come on, Linny, don't hold back on me." She gave him a devilish grin.

"Just remember, you asked for it." She teased. The second time, the fight lasted longer. They knew each other too well, even with the time apart. They could anticipate each other's moves and block before the hit could land.

Lin had no idea how long the fight lasted, but by the end of it, dusk was settling and they were both panting with exhaustion.

"Truce?" Bumi gasped.

"Truce." She agreed, both of them immediately dropping to the ground. Suddenly, they heard applause and turned to find many of her classmates and all of their family that had attended watching them. Her father stepped forward, pride in his eyes, carrying two mugs of water.

"Slowly now, you two." He cautioned with a grin, as though they were children again and had just finished a practice session. Bumi started laughing and Lin couldn't help but join in.

"Thanks, Dad." She said once she had managed to get her laughter under control, taking the mug from him. He crouched down on his haunches next to them.

"I have never been more proud of you two than I am today." He told them seriously, glancing from one to the other. "Lin, you've just started taking the steps to follow in your mother's footsteps, but I know that one day, you'll be a better chief of police, and an even better warrior, than she is. Don't tell her I said that." He added quickly, causing them to laugh. "Bumi, you've already completed six years of service with the army meant to defend not only the Republic of Nations but the entire world. You're following in the footsteps of everyone who fought in the Hundred Years War, especially your grandfather and myself. You're a wonderful soldier, and one day I'm sure you'll be leading your own troops into battle. But the true reason I'm proud of you is because our skill is not determined by how well we fare in battle against those lesser than us, but in how well we fare against our equals. The display that the two of you just put on shows just how skilled the two of you are, and the fact that it came to a draw speaks even more highly of both of you, that you could not outmatch each other."

"Thanks, Uncle Sokka." Bumi said seriously. Lin nodded, and her father smiled.

"Well, of course I deserve the thanks." He said, with a wink. "I am the one who taught you how to use a sword to start with." Lin couldn't help but laugh again, and Bumi grinned.

Bumi did end up going back, just as Lin had said he would. This time, Aunt Katara had forced him to say a proper goodbye, which had been converted into a dual party for his leaving and for Lin's graduation. The older generation had left fairly quickly, leaving the younger generation to change the music and drag out the alcohol. Bumi and Lin stuck close together, sniggering at each other as others came up to flirt.

As Bumi got steadily more drunk, Lin found his personality wasn't much different from normal. He joked and laughed, just more and louder than usual. He was also very touchy, not that she really minded when he kept his arm slung over her shoulders or around her waist. If she moved away, his arm was right back when she returned to his side. She didn't drink much, but the more she had to drink, the more she leaned into him, smiling and laughing at his jokes. By the end of the night, she, Tenzin, and a drunk but still laughing Bumi had sent off everyone who was still sober enough to get home and assigned rooms to everyone who wasn't. Tenzin had then wished the two of them a good sleep and headed to his own room. She glanced at Bumi, who was grinning at her cheerfully, and rolled her eyes with a faint smile. She sat on the rug sleepily and Bumi curled up next to her, tugging her closer. Feeling his warmth surrounding her, she allowed sleep to overtake her.

Time passed. Letters kept Lin updated on Bumi's life among the 2nd Division of the United Forces, and his mother kept her updated on his commendations, of which he received many more than most men with his tenure. She knew that Aunt Katara did the same for her, telling him as she quickly ascended the ranks of the Police Department. Each letter from him that came after a promotion teased her about her newest title.

Her mother would crow that Lin was a natural, but straight afterwards would tell her not to let it go to her head or arrogance would make her sloppy. Indeed, Lin found that she easily navigated aspects of the job that others found impossible. She quickly gained the respect of the older officers for being as good as her mother. No one was brave enough to comment, as her father had, that she might one day be greater than her mother.

He kept her updated on his missions also, though he was only able to talk about the ones they'd finished for fear of the mail being intercepted. She, likewise, kept him updated on the cases she took and solved. He told her that the 2nd Division worked alongside the 1st, which was commanded by Princess Ursa's husband. She told him about how she'd been assigned to training with Harold, her mother's second-in-command, and related the tale of her running away when her father had announced the birth of his child.

He was able to visit twice more in the next six years. Once was for the birth of Iroh, Ursa's son, when the Royal Family brought the child to Air Temple Island. The 1st and 2nd Divisions were, officially, assigned as guards, but most knew that it was to allow the Prince and Bumi to visit and see the child. Lin found that she got along much better with the Princess than she had when they were children, though she thought the girl was rather prissy.

The second time was just four months later, when Bumi was severely injured in combat and sent home to rest. He told his visibly frantic mother, and a furious Lin, that he had been completely healed, but that his entire ship had gone down and that his Commander felt he needed the time to recover mentally. Indeed, Lin could tell that whatever had happened, and he refused to speak of it, it was traumatic for him. His eyes, normally a light gray, had darkened into storm clouds, and his usually easy-to-come grin was forced. She spent every free moment she had with him, but neither of them suggested a spar. Instead, she took over his task of cheering someone up, teasing him and encouraging him to banter with her. She coaxed him into childish games, and splashed him with water as they walked along the beach.

The first time he teased her about how childish she was for a Police Sergeant, she hugged him fiercely in relief. He was grinning again for the first time that night, and she could see that everyone on the island was joyful.

Unfortunately, his recovery also meant his return to the Forces. Lin managed to delay for another month, but then he had to either sign the contract for another six years or leave the Forces.

"Losing the ship only made it more real how dangerous those attacks can be." He told her in confidence one day. "What if it had been a civilian city instead of a Forces ship? Thousands of lives could have been lost. It's why I have to go back; I have to defend those thousands."

"I know." She told him, because she did understand. He wanted to save thousands of civilians; she wanted to save hundreds of citizens. He was just doing it for strangers rather than the people they'd grown up with; somebody had to and he was the best.

Immediately after he resigned the contract, word came through Aunt Katara that he had been promoted to Lieutenant. It was only a year later that she was promoted to Lieutenant and they exchanged jokes that they were the same rank now, though the police and Forces ranking systems were different. At the same time, Tenzin began training under Uncle Aang to learn how to become the Air representative on the City Council. Uncle Aang said that he wished to retire, and she could see how worn down he was, but he was determined to make sure Tenzin had a good grasp of the position before he left. Normally, the training took about five years, but despite his relatively young age, she didn't think Uncle Aang would last that long.

Three years later, Lin had been promoted to Captain and Tenzin had officially taken over his father's duties. Uncle Aang settled in for a quiet retirement on Air Temple Island with Aunt Katara fussing over him. It was then that Lin was surprised by Tenzin asking her out again. She hesitated, remembering the failure that was their last attempt at dating, but he scoffed at her and reminded her that they'd been teenagers. Finally, she agreed, and their relationship began again.

She'd been on dates over the years. Nothing noteworthy, but she hadn't been lonely. With Tenzin, though, she was able to be more herself than she had been able to with anyone else besides Bumi. He'd grown up with her, and he knew her personality already. She didn't have to explain things to them and they didn't have to go through the awkward question and answer stage. She didn't have to meet his family, or have him be intimidated by hers. She was happy.

Five years later, she was proven wrong about Uncle Aang's strength when they celebrated her promotion to Assistant Chief of Police with Harold's retirement. It was a surprise to everyone when Bumi waltzed in with a grin on his face.

"You guys threw me a party? How thoughtful!" He teased. She laughed and threw herself into his arms, hugging him fiercely. His mother was next, and then the whole family was hugging him.

"Actually, it's Lin's party." His mother informed him.

"Why not make it both?" Her father asked cheerfully, clapping him on the shoulder. "They've shared parties before."

"What are we celebrating?" Bumi asked.

"Lin's newest promotion." Tenzin said stiffly.

"Again? Haven't they run out of those yet?" He demanded, scooping her up and spinning her around.

"Not just yet," she informed him, laughing. He shook his head.

"I should've joined the police force." He said mournfully. Everyone laughed and the party continued.

Eventually, Bumi found out that she and Tenzin were dating. He cornered her easily.

"Haven't you tried this disaster with T already?" He commented curiously. She rolled her eyes at him.

"We were teenagers, Bumi."

"So everything's alright with you two, now?" He asked suspiciously. She rolled her eyes, wondering how he seemed to know that something was wrong. She and Tenzin had been fighting more lately, but it would pass.

"Everything's fine." She insisted, lying. He searched her eyes, but he didn't have seismic sense and she could fool even her mother on occasion. He nodded and let it go.

The next time she saw Bumi, the occasion was not quite as festive. A year later, Uncle Aang passed away quietly in his sleep. Aunt Katara sent word of a family emergency through one of the Acolytes, and Lin met her parents at the docks. They exchanged worried looks, and rode the ferry together in silence. Tenzin met them as they got off, and the tear tracks on his face told them what had happened. Lin moved forward and placed a hand on his arm, but he shrugged her off and headed up the stone steps. Her father wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and the three of them followed him. Aunt Katara met them at the doors and explained what had happened. Tenzin was nowhere in sight.

"I had Tenzin go and check. Appa must have died around the same time." She told them. She felt her father shudder, and saw the tears tracing her mother's cheeks. Her father stepped forward and wrapped Aunt Katara in a hug, and Lin watched helplessly as her aunt broke down. "He was so tired." Aunt Katara whispered, clearly not intending to speak out loud. "Being in the iceberg so long wore him down. He was one hundred and sixty five years old, even if he only looked sixty five on the outside."

"I know." Her father whispered. "We all saw how tired he was."

"And now it falls to Tenzin to carry on as the last airbender." Lin shuddered slightly, knowing what was expected of Tenzin. Children. The one topic she had tried to avoid bringing up with him. She wouldn't be able to avoid it now. He had to have children; to carry on the airbenders. She didn't want children; she was too much like her mother to truly want children.

They moved inside, Tenzin still absent, and sat down. She sat silently, listening to her aunt and her parents grieve. There was a lot of crying, and Lin let her own tears fall, unashamed. She had been close to Uncle Aang, who always had a kind word or a sneaked sweet. He had been there for her, listening quietly as she spoke about her problems with Tenzin and always giving her advice that made everything better, until the next time she came to see him.

Time passed, probably only an hour or two. They heard a ship come into the harbor and walked out to see a heavily pregnant Kya being escorted by her husband. Aunt Katara went to her daughter while Nanuq hovered around the two. Then Kya started crying and Lin turned and walked away. She headed to the cliffs, and sat with her legs dangling over the edge, letting her tears fall.

"Mom sent a wire message to Bumi." Kya's voice came from behind her. Lin turned in surprise. "She figures him getting here in time for the funeral is important enough for the extra cost."

Kya collapsed next to her on the ledge, and Lin stiffened. She is not good at being comforting.

"Don't look so stiff, Linny. I'm not going to collapse on you." The elder woman joked. Lin eyed her warily. Being six years her senior, Kya had never really spent much time with Lin. Kya had already been bending by the time Lin was born, and most of her time was devoted to that as Lin grew older. By the time Lin was old enough to be of any importance to her, Kya's head was already devoted to boyfriends. The only real interaction Lin had with her distant pseudo-cousin was through Bumi's pranks or family parties and dinners, and that had ended when the woman had moved to first the Southern and then the Northern Water Tribes, and been married.

Kya sat in silence, however, and Lin relaxed when she realized she would not be required to make conversation. They sat there for an hour before Nanuq came to usher Kya back inside and to announce dinner.

Over dinner, Aunt Katara and her parents proceeded to regale their quiet audience with tales from the war. Normally, the younger generation would groan and leave the room, having heard the stories so many times before. Today, though, no one said a word of complaint as the elder generation bid their brother and husband goodbye.

Metal on metal caused them all to pause and head outside. Lin smiled faintly as she saw the airship setting down on the bay and Bumi getting out. He said something to someone inside the airship and then headed up the stairs. The airship rose and took off, sending hair flying in the wind it caused. He met them at the top of the stairs, face grim. He tried a smile.

"I got your letter and the Commander said I should have the fastest transport possible." Aunt Katara shook her head and wrapped her arms around her son. Bumi hugged her back, settling his cheek on the top of her head. "Sorry I'm late, Mom." He murmured.

"That's just fine, dear. You're right on time." She said, pulling back. Lin stepped forward and let his arms wrap around her, but he pulled back quickly.

"Is there any dinner leftover? I'm starving." He said. Aunt Katara ushered him inside and set a plate before him. He sat silently as the stories continued, gradually moving from the war to stories from the war to later, Aunt Katara and Uncle Aang's wedding and the birth of their children. The formation of Air Temple Island and the beginning of the Air Acolytes. Lin heard of her and Bumi's initial rivalry from the adults' point of view. Happy and sad, serious and funny, Uncle Aang was remembered that night.

The next few days were spent announcing his death to the world. Reports of the new Avatar soon came in from both the tribes, and the White Lotus tracked each false claim. Republic City honored Avatar Aang by beginning to build a statue of him in the bay, welcoming newcomers to the city. Tenzin was a rare sight, even to her, as he prepared to give Uncle Aang's body back to the earth, which would be used to bring forth new life, in true Air Nomad custom. With the death of the Avatar, Toph and Lin found themselves busier than ever, so that if Lin wasn't working, she was sleeping. On her day off, she went to Air Temple Island, splitting her time between Aunt Katara and Bumi, as Tenzin was still preparing Uncle Aang's body, and Tenzin's own spirit, for the funeral.

Two weeks after his death, Avatar Aang was laid to rest in a field which had been devoid of life. The remains of his body would support new life here.

A week later, Bumi announced that he had to return to the Forces. His mother accepted this calmly, announcing that she, herself, would be heading to the Southern Water Tribe in anticipation of the new Avatar's need for a waterbending teacher. It was then that Tenzin finally exploded, accusing Bumi of cold-heartedness in leaving so soon after their father's death and his mother of using the new Avatar as an avoidance of grief; the new Avatar, though they may have his father's spirit, would never really be his father.

It was Kya who snapped him out of it, while the others merely stood in shock. Kya dragged him off, and when they returned he apologized profusely, stating that his grief had gotten the better of him. Aunt Katara embraced him, but Bumi merely nodded. Bumi left that day, having been picked up by his Division on the way to their next mission. Aunt Katara waited another week, unsure of leaving due to Tenzin's reaction. Kya scoffed at her mother's over-protectiveness and decided that she and her husband would escort their mother to the Southern Tribe, nearly forcing her mother onto the boat.

And so, one by one, the Avatar's family spread to the different corners of the world.

Kaani was born that winter, to Kya and Nanuq. She received a letter from the waterbender, introducing her to her new niece. It was then that she understood why Kya was sending her letters. Everyone expected that now that Uncle Aang had passed, Tenzin would marry her and they would begin popping out airbenders.

She started to avoid Tenzin, not wanting the subject to come up. If it did, she would have to tell him her views on children. If she could only avoid it for a bit…

What? She'd miraculously start wanting children? She now wished that she'd asked Uncle Aang about her views on children when he was alive. Instead, she began meditating, wishing that he'd give her the answer she sought.

But time moved on with no answer from Uncle Aang. Eventually, she could no longer avoid Tenzin, and naturally, the subject came up as she had feared it would. She tried to dance around the subject, but she refused to lie to him. So she told him the truth; that she didn't want children and probably never would.

He'd blown up; the first time she'd seen him really angry in the year since Uncle Aang's funeral. There'd been an explosive argument, and he had retreated back to Air Temple Island. She had written a letter about the matter that was both scathingly angry and desperately lost, and sent it to Bumi before she could change her mind.

No response came.

For months, she waited for a response to her letter, even after she and Tenzin had managed to patch things up. The air around them was tense, both waiting for the next blow-up, but they were together and that was what mattered.

A letter finally arrived in the third month, telling her that he was sorry he hadn't responded, and that his Division had been escorting the nine-year-old Prince Iroh on a tour of the nations. It had been top secret, and none of the members of either the 1st, 2nd or 3rd Division had been allowed letters in or out for fear of word leaking. He sympathized with her, arguing that most everyone had at least an idea that she didn't want children, though they'd never mentioned it since she'd never brought it up. He asked her for an update. She responded promptly, and their correspondence began again.

Life was easier with Bumi to confide in. He couldn't really solve the problem, since the problems were solved by the time he received her letter and she got one in reply, but she was able to vent to him.

Two years after Uncle Aang's death, her life went into a tailspin that she couldn't pull up from.

Tenzin announced that he was leaving her, and began dating an Air Acolyte named Pema, who was coincidentally fifteen years younger than herself and sixteen years younger than him. She had overreacted, she could admit that. Her mother had told her off for attempting to put the poor girl in jail on nonexistent charges. Tenzin must have informed his family of her behavior because Kya stopped writing. Letters from Bumi came fewer and farther apart.

Two years later, Tenzin and Pema announced their engagement. Lin did not attend their wedding. A few months later, Katara wrote to announce that the new Avatar had been found, a Southern Water Tribe girl named Korra. Katara also mentioned that Bumi had been promoted to Captain the year before, and that his duties were more time-consuming now that he had a whole ship to command. That comforted her a little, in the hope that it was just being busy that kept him from writing.

The next year, her life took another downturn with the death of her mother.

The street gangs had become more active since the Avatar had passed, and they were getting bolder. Mrs. Sato, wife of Hiroshi Sato, inventor of the Satomobile, and mother of Asami Sato, a six year old girl, had been murdered in her home after a robbery gone wrong. Lin and her mother had led a team against the Agni Kai Triad, who had been identified due to their policy of firebenders only.

They were able to take down all of the members of the gang except one, who escaped after striking a blow against Lin's mother. Perhaps if Katara had been there, Toph might have been spared, but Katara was in the Southern Water Tribe with Korra, and no other healer in the city was skilled enough to save her.

She and her father knew how her mother wanted to be buried, and it wasn't in Republic City. She was informed that she was now first-in-line to be the Chief of Police, but asked for time to think about it. Instead, she focused all her attention on preparing for the journey they would take, and keeping her father going.

Bumi showed up for the send-off. He carried a pack over his shoulder, and when he climbed into the boat, Lin said nothing. Her father started rowing, but he quickly grew tired and Bumi took over. If Lin closed her eyes, she could almost remember the first time she'd taken this trip. The glares exchanged between herself and Bumi, Bumi's choppy rowing, her mother and father teasing and laughing, long before they'd married. They'd spent thirty years together before their marriage, and had twenty-eight years of married life. Fifty-eight years together. Lin felt a tear fall down her cheek. Lin had had thirty-eight years with her mother. There were times when Lin hated her, and times when her mother was the only person she wanted around. Lin hoped that she could be half as strong as her mother, and she swore to herself that she would preserve the legacy her mother had left behind. Her eyes flew open when the metal boat hit the rock below. She immediately moved to help Bumi carry it to shore. When they were far enough up, Lin covered their boat the same way her mother had thirty-two years before.

They buried her in the Cave of the Two Lovers, Oma and Shu, with the badgermoles that lived there. Similar to an Airbender funeral, they buried her without wrapping of any kind, letting her rest with only earth surrounding her.

Lin snapped at Bumi and her father as they continuously tried to comfort her. Uncle Aang's death, Tenzin's betrayal, for it was a betrayal to begin dating a woman-child the same day that you broke up with your childhood friend and long-time girlfriend, Tenzin's marriage to the instigator of said betrayal, and now her mother's death. The losses had hardened her. She pulled back from the pain, retreating and lashing out when it followed her. In the depths of her heart, she knew her father would not live much longer, and Bumi would soon be leaving again. Eventually, he too would find love and she would be left behind as nothing by a childhood friend once more. Better, she thought, to guard herself now.

Her father watched her sadly, allowing her the space to lick her wounds. He had too much experience with her mother to truly try to press her. Bumi, though, reached forward and hugged her to him. She struggled against him, beating his shoulders and arms with her fists. She was not so far gone as to use her bending against him.

"Linny, Linny, Linny." He crooned in her ear, over and over again. Eventually, exhausted, she gave up and let the tears come, sobbing against his chest. He kept up his crooning, rubbing soothing circles in her back.

Bumi was not something that she could guard against. He took her walls and cast them aside, finding their weakest point and sending them crumbling down. They sat and talked seriously, speaking of Uncle Aang, Tenzin, her mother, her father. He spoke of his wish to eventually retire eventually and open up the sword-training school her father had once dreamed of but had to give up due to his duties to the Council.

He convinced her to speak with her father, and she found herself talking to her father about his first wife, Suki, and the child he lost. She confronted him about his loss of will to live, and of his inevitable death within the next year or so. They mourned the loss of her mother together.

In the end, she returned from the trip more at peace with herself. Her father would die within the next year, but it would be a relief to him after losing her mother, his dearest friend and truest love. Bumi would return to the Forces, where he would write to her constantly over the years though their visits would be few and far between. Tenzin would, over the next twelve years, have four children with the woman-child he married, the oldest three proven airbenders. A new trouble would arise, the Equalists, and the Avatar would return to Republic City to deal with it.

And she would deal with it all as it came. Because she was Lin Bei Fong, daughter of the greatest earthbender in the world, Chief of the Republic City Police Force, and protector of the peace her parents had fought so hard for.


	4. Wild, Wild War

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avatar comes to Republic City and War follows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: This chapter follows Season 1 of LoK from Lin's POV. There are small thoughts of Lin's that give an insight into her life and a few minor twists but if you dislike re-reading dialogue or action from the show, this may not be your favorite chapter.

The trials that plagued her in those six years, beginning seventeen years before Avatar Korra arrived in Republic City and ending with her mother's burial, stuck with her. She had been tough and sensible as a child, her mother had taught her to be, but she had also been able to laugh freely. The trials had hardened her from that carefree, laughing girl. Now she rarely smiled, except when she received a letter from Bumi.

The first few years after she became Chief of Police, she had struggled. She had been given a taste of command in her constant promotions, but she had not realized exactly how much her mother handled. She found herself seeking out first her father and then, after his death, her mother's old Assistant Chief Harold, for advice. She wrote to Bumi about other problems that she did not feel as though she should share with her father or Harold, like the fact that some of the older officers resented her position as chief because they had been at the station longer and she was 'only the boss' daughter'. The cases she handled in those first few years were something no one dared to mention afterwards. Disasters, is what they were. She adjusted to the position in time, able to direct her officers into where they needed to be so they were of the best use to the city, but it took time.

The years passed, and life went on. She kept the peace, and protected the city that her family had worked so hard to create. As hard as she worked, the triads thrived and the group known as the Equalists began to gain support.

It was a Triple Threat Triad incident that reintroduced her to the Avatar. She had met her before, all of those belonging to 'the old group' and their children had, but the girl had probably been too young to remember. Lin recognized the girl the instant she stepped into the room. The water tribe clothing, her darker skin and hair, and her blue eyes set her off as different immediately. Most citizens were of mixed blood, and most of that blood was Earth or Fire heritage, which made Korra look exotic, especially wearing traditional water tribe clothing. Even the waterbenders of the city who held onto their traditions had adapted enough to make this girl unique. Of course, the fact that she had torn up part of Lin's city, resisted arrest, and nearly escaped did not help Lin's mood. The fact that the girl was the Avatar made it worse; by resisting the police, Korra had shown a lack of trust in the legal system. If the Avatar did not respect the police, why should anyone else?

"Let's see. Multiple counts of destruction of private and city property, not to mention evading arrest. You're in a whole mess of trouble, young lady." Lin warned.

"But there were some thugs threatening a helpless shopkeeper, and I…"

"Can it!" Lin snapped angrily. "You should have called the police and stayed out of the way." Lin explained. _'Things get done faster when people who can't help don't get in the way.'_ Her mother's voice rang in Lin's head. Korra had caused more damage by getting involved than she had prevented.

"But I couldn't just sit by and do nothing. It's my duty to help people. See, I'm the Avatar." Lin crossed her arms, getting irritated. If the girl thought that her title would impress Lin, or cause Lin to go easy on her, she was mistaken.

"Oh, I am well aware of who you are. And your Avatar title might impress some people, but not me." This stumped the girl for a moment, and Lin felt a surge of satisfaction at that, but Korra rallied quickly, though ineffectively.

"Alright, fine. Then I wanna talk to whoever's in charge."

"You're talking to her. I'm Chief Bei Fong."

"Wait. Bei Fong? Lin Bei Fong? You're Toph's daughter!"

"What of it?" Lin asked dryly.

"Well, then why are you treating me like a criminal? Avatar Aang and your mother were friends; they saved the world together."

"That's ancient history." Lin said gruffly. And you are not Uncle Aang. "And it's got diddly squat to do with the mess you're in right now. You can't just waltz in here and dole out vigilante justice like you own the place." Lin was on a rant now, furious. She despised vigilante justice, finding that vigilantes often undermined the police force.

"Chief." Captain Saikhan called. "Councilman Tenzin is here." Lin sighed, rolling her eyes. And here was Tenzin to get the Avatar out of trouble. She felt a headache coming on, feeling as though this would happen often if the Avatar were to stay in town.

"Let him in." She called in exasperation. She stood tall as Tenzin strode into the room stiffly.

"Tenzin." She heard the girl say in relief. "Sorry, I got a little side-tracked on my way to see you." Tenzin took a deep breath, clearly preparing to smooth talk her.

"Lin, you are looking radiant as usual." He began.

"Cut the garbage, Tenzin. Why is the Avatar in Republic City? I thought you were supposed to be moving down to the South Pole to train her." Lin demanded. She had heard through letters to Bumi that Katara was looking forward to spending more time with her son and grandchildren, and being present for her newest grandchild's birth.

"My relocation has been delayed. The Avatar, on the other hand, will be heading back to the South Pole immediately. Where she will stay put."

"But…!" Korra began.

"If you would be so kind as to drop the charges against Korra, I will take full responsibility for today's regrettable events and cover all the damages." Lin glanced between the clearly dispirited Korra and the outwardly calm but clearly angry Tenzin and sighed. Tenzin would punish the girl better than she could, she was getting a headache already, and if the damages would be paid then there was really no reason to keep the girl.

"Fine." She said, releasing the cuffs on Korra's hands with a wave of her wrist. "Get her out of my city."

"Always a pleasure, Lin. Let's go, Korra." From the look on the girl's face, Lin did not believe she would leave or, if she did leave, that she would not stay gone long. Instead, she sent a silent warning to the girl that she would be watching. Childishly, the girl returned the gesture.

Lin sighed and ordered Saikhan to send a message to the animal holdings to release the girl's polar bear dog. The rest was up to Tenzin.

Lin's headache returned the next day when her secretary showed Tenzin in. She had been right in that the Avatar would not leave, and Tenzin wanted to hold a press conference of all things. She vehemently disapproved, but she was overruled by the City Council. It became apparent within the first few minutes of the conference that Tenzin had not briefed Korra at all, and she felt her headache grow further. The girl had no experience with being drilled in such a manor, and she clearly had no idea what to say. She had potential to be a great public speaker, Lin could acknowledge that, but she had little practice and even less sense of how to manipulate a crowd. Even Lin, who despised politics, could understand the benefit of not mentioning things that could be used against her, such as the fact that Korra was still in training.

She returned to the stone house she'd grown up in with a sense of foreboding. The Avatar's presence in Republic City, and her apparent vulnerability, would cause trouble sooner or later. Lin just knew it.

Though kept updated through notes from Tenzin, the papers, and occasional meetings with the City Council to discuss solutions to the rising Equalist problem, Lin was lucky enough not to have to arrest the arrogant young Avatar again. In fact, she did not have to deal with the girl again for quite a while. Her focus returned, as it always did, to her work and letters from Bumi. He informed her that, until Amon initiated a direct and public attack, the Forces could not be commanded to step in. She wished he were here. Not only would the presence of the Forces cut down on the work she and her officers had to do, not only regular police work but also trying to find leads on the Amon problem, but she selfishly wanted the comfort that came with Bumi's listening ears and jokes.

Chairman Tarrlok's 'task force' was her newest problem. He had commandeered several of her best officers, though thankfully not her best, and several advanced waterbenders from the hospitals. Frankly, he was interfering with her station and getting very little progress done in recompense. He was, in fact, creating more work for her officers, both on his task force and those sensible enough to decline, who then had to take more shifts to cover for their missing members. When she heard about him intending to 'woo' the Avatar, she had sent word to Tenzin.

The reply she received said that her message had come too late as Tarrlok had stopped by to enjoy dinner with the Airbending family. She also learned, over the next few days, that Tarrlok had, indeed, started his 'wooing'. Presents began arriving for the Avatar, including a rather expensive gala.

Unfortunately, the gala being thrown in the Avatar's honor needed security and with the members of the Council and other notable members, and benders, of society attending, Lin trusted no one but herself to lead the security team.

She was unfortunate enough to be caught passing by Tarrlok, and was summoned forward.

"Chief Bei Fong. I believe you and Avatar Korra have already met." Lin glared at the girl, attending the party, clearly anticipating it if the work on her hair and dress was any indication, when there were serious matters to deal with. Tired from all the extra work she was forcing on herself, she snapped, glaring.

"Just because the city's throwing you this big to-do, don't think you're something special. You've done absolutely nothing to deserve this." But my people have, busting their butts every night to keep the people of Republic City safe, taking extra shifts and going on little sleep. And now we have more work so the righteous little girl playing at being an Avatar can be gawked at. She stalked away before she could make an even bigger fool of herself.

The shifts got worse, so much so that she barely sneered at the continuous reports of Tarrlok and Korra's success. She barely took notice when Korra quit Tarrlok's task force. Only one thing could knock her from the reverie of the current work-eat-sleep cycle she was in. And that was trouble.

"Good morning, citizens of Republic City. This is Amon. I hope you all enjoyed last night's pro-bending match, because it will be the last. It's time for this city to stop worshiping bending athletes as if they were heroes. I am calling on the council to shut down the bending arena and cancel the finals, or else there will be severe consequences." Lin growled, knowing that Tenzin would vote to back down, and the others might just agree with him. The last thing they needed to be doing right now, when Amon was so much ahead, was to be giving him any concessions. Give him a pebble and he'd take a boulder. She snarled her orders to the officers in the station, and stalked out, heading for City Hall.

When she got there, she realized that she wasn't the only one to understand this.

"…is the one place where benders and non-benders gather together... in-in peace! To watch benders..." the fire nation boy was stumbling, but he had a point.

"Beat each other up! In peace! It's an inspiration to everyone!" The earthbender said enthusiastically. She rolled her eyes. Not quite what the other boy had in mind, she was sure. This boy had potential, she could feel it, but he was alarmingly untrained for an Avatar's companion.

"I appreciate your naïve idealism, but you're ignoring the reality of the situation." Tarrlok said condescendingly.

"The reality is if you close the arena, you let Amon win!" Korra snapped. Lin grimaced as she found herself agreeing.

"Yes, exactly what she said! Yes!" The earthbender crowed.

"I'm sorry, but our decision has been made. This meeting is adjourned." Lin decided it was time to make her entrance, and knocked the gavel away.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with the Avatar." She said.

"You do?" Tarrlok demanded.

"Yeah, you do?" Korra parroted.

"I expected this kind of cut-and-run response from Tenzin. But the rest of you? Come on, show a little more backbone. It's time that the benders of this city displayed some strength and unity against these Equalists." Lin said scornfully.

"We must prevent the conflict between benders and non-benders from escalating into all-out war! The council is not changing its position, Lin." Tenzin disagreed.

"Now just a moment, Tenzin. Let us hear what our esteemed Chief of Police had in mind." Tarrlok interrupted. Lin felt an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach, but ignored it.

"If you keep the arena open, my metalbenders and I will provide extra security during the championship match. There's no better force to deal with the chi-blockers. Our armor is impervious to their attacks." She explained firmly.

"Are you saying that you will personally take responsibility for the safety of the spectators in the arena?" Tarrlok asked slyly. Lin saw Tenzin glance at Tarrlok suspiciously, but she didn't need Tenzin to tell her what Tarrlok was up to. Her reputation depended on outcome of this, if she said yes, and it would be known that it was her fault if something went wrong.

"I guarantee it." She said, determined. She would prove to Tarrlok, to everyone, that her force was the best and that Amon was no match for them.

"It is hard to argue with Chief Bei Fong's track record." Lin made her body as stone, refraining from glancing at the two boys beside Korra, having already known of their being living proof of one of her early mistakes as chief. "If she is confident her elite officers can protect the arena, then she has my support. I am changing my vote. Who else is with me?" Lin watched calmly as the other three voted for the idea. Tenzin, of course, did not. "The arena stays open. Good luck in the finals." The three teenagers cheered and celebrated happily. "And good luck to you, Chief Bei Fong." Tarrlok added mockingly. Lin ignored him in favor of the approaching Tenzin.

"A word please, Lin." He said, drawing her out into the hallway. They watch as the Councilmen and the teenagers file out before he turns to her. "Don't do this, Lin." She sighed and rolled her eyes.

"It's done, Tenzin."

"Tarrlok's playing you, and I don't want to see you hurt." He tried.

"I know what I'm doing, and the risks that come with it." Both Amon and Tarrlok.

"In that case, I'm going to be by your side during the match." Tenzin asserted.

"You don't need to babysit me." Lin snapped in annoyance. There he was again, sticking his nose in. What was he going to do if the Equalists showed up, be chi-blocked and fall unconscious?

"It's for Korra. I want to make sure she's safe." Tenzin said. Lin wasn't sure she believed him, but she still felt a twinge of embarrassment at her vehement assumption. She threw her hands up in frustration.

"Do what you want. It's not like I've ever been able to stop you before." She sneered. Then Korra walked up, which was just what Lin needed at the moment, wasn't it?

"Excuse me, Chief Bei Fong. I wanted to thank you for your help." Lin stalked away before she could snap at the girl, who definitely didn't deserve it right now. "It…really…means a lot." The girl's voice faded as Lin got further away.

Lin focused her attention on organizing security for the night. Everything would be secured. The sky and the bay were the obvious entrances for large-scale forces, and she made sure to cover those. She requisitioned a map of the arena, and assigned her officers to every entrance, various strategic points in the stands, the training areas in the back, and every other place she could think of, making sure she had a good view of the stands.

Finally, it was the night of and Tenzin met her at an entrance.

"How is the security sweep going?" He asked.

"Fine." She said bluntly.

"They've checked underneath the stands?"

"Yes." She was beginning to get frustrated with him. He was acting as though she did not know how to secure an area.

"And you have enough officers to cover all points of entry?" She turned her head to Tenzin coolly.

"I have the skies, the bay, and every nook and cranny of this place covered." She turned away. "Now leave me alone and let me do my job."

"Lin, with so much on the line it would be nice if we could help each other out, at least for one night." He said sadly. She paused.

"Like old times?" She asked, remembering when she was a newly appointed Chief and he was a newly appointed Councilman and they'd backed each other in everything, even when she didn't agree with his passiveness or he didn't agree with her aggression. Even when they messed up.

"Like old times." Tenzin agreed. She sighed silently, admitting to herself that she'd missed it.

"Okay. I'll try to be less abrasive than usual." She conceded.

"I would appreciate that." She nodded and led him to her spot. The last patrol before the match finished their sweep and came to report to her as people began filing in.

As the match progressed, Lin found that, to her amusement, Tenzin had found an interest in the sport. She remembered his disparaging comments when he found out that she and Bumi had gone or were going to a match, and couldn't help but tease him. His awkwardness was a reward in itself. As the match progressed, she couldn't help but be impressed. For all her arrogance and self-importance, Korra was an excellent waterbender and a ferocious fighter.

"I can't believe your sweet-tempered father was reincarnated into that girl. She's tough as nails." Lin couldn't help but comment to Tenzin.

"Reminds me of someone else I knew at that age. You two might get along if you would only give her a chance." He mentioned. She huffed and said nothing, not wanting to admit that he was right.

Her irritation disappeared as he began getting involved in the match. She was barely watching, having already figured out the referee had been paid off and that the Fire Ferrets had little to no chance of winning. She shot Tenzin amused glances but focused on surveying the arena. As the match ended, Lin turned to Tenzin's outraged expression with amusement. Then, his face changed.

"Look out!" he cried. Pain assaulted her body and everything went black.

When she woke up, Tenzin was just sitting up next to her. She rushed over, feeling the earth respond under her feet in relief. She crouched down beside Tenzin.

"Tenzin!" She turned in despair and saw the Equalists leaving. Lin flinched back as explosions began, destroying the main platform, lifting her arm to protect her face. Around her, the crowd began to scream.

When the smoke cleared, she saw Korra waterbending herself after the Equalists. Unfortunately, there was not enough water and Korra began to fall. Lin didn't hesitate, launching herself out of the stands and metalbending her cables. She sent a cable after the Avatar, the other reaching for support. Not hesitating, she shot the girl up after them. Regaining her momentum, she followed the girl as quickly as she could.

When she reached the roof, Korra was clinging to one of the small lifts high above her. Lin easily dispatched one of the remaining Equalists, but two others knocked Korra to the roof. Lin attempted to hook herself to one of the lifts, but pain erupted in her back again, and she fell, the metal cable detaching itself. She heard three other Equalists join the first looming over her but a fire-bending Korra interrupted them. While Korra distracted them, Lin dispatched two more before again trying to hook onto the Equalists' airship. She succeeded, but before she could reach the platform, she heard a sharp scream as Korra fell through the ceiling. She longed to chase after the Equalists, to get some victory out of this disaster, but Korra was too important. She dropped, letting her metal cables attach to the remainder of the roof, releasing when Korra has gone too far to reach. She sent her cable at the wall, the other reaching for Korra. They managed to land on the arena floor safely, if roughly. Lin helped Korra stand.

"You alright?" She asked.

"I'm fine." Korra agreed. "Thanks to you."

"Don't mention it, kid." Lin said, glancing up after the airship. "Looks like we lost this one." Lin watched as the two boys rushed to Korra, hugging her in relief. For a moment, Lin felt a pang of longing for Bumi, who would have been just as relieved that she was safe. She was startled out of the thought by Tenzin, who placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I can't believe Amon did this. I played right into his hands." She told him, ashamed. He was right. This was her fault.

"He played us all." Tenzin comforted. His next pronouncement is not quite so comforting. "Republic City is at war."

The fallout from the Probending match was worse than even Lin anticipated. Republic City was calling for her resignation, but the support of the police force, Tenzin's support to the Council, and the hectic aftermath of the attack saw that Lin kept her job, at least for the moment.

In the aftermath of the attack, Lin was running constantly. A tip had come in that Cabbage Corp was supporting the Equalists, and the witnesses of the attack, especially the team who had been stripped of their bending, had to be questioned.

That night, just as she managed to gain a moment of peace, she was asked by Korra to check out a possible lead. Lin was surprised by Korra's suspicions of the father of, what Lin assumed to be, a friend.

"So, you think Mr. Sato manufactured those gloves for the Equalists then framed Cabbage Corp?" Tenzin, apparently, found it just as strange.

"That's a bold accusation, what proof do you have?" Lin asked curiously.

"Well, I don't exactly have proof, but I know what I heard. Sato's up to something." Korra explained.

"He does have the means…and he has a motive." Lin thought out loud, flinching faintly at the reminder of her mother's death.

"That's right." Tenzin agreed.

"A motive? What is it?" Korra asked. Lin avoided the girl's eyes, hoping Tenzin would not mention her mother.

"Twelve years ago, the Agni Kai Triad robbed Sato's mansion. A firebender killed Sato's wife during the break in." Tenzin explained simply.

"That's terrible." Korra commented.

"It was tragic. It's possible that he's been harboring anti-bending sentiments all this time."

"Maybe we should look at Mr. Sato a little more closely." Lin said, changing the subject.

The three of them headed to the Sato mansion the next morning. The butler opened the door and Tenzin and Lin headed upstairs. Lin heard the firebender boy stop Korra, but paid it no attention.

"Mr. Sato, we just have a few follow-up questions for you." Lin said briskly. His daughter barged in, interrupting.

"My father is innocent. Just because we're not benders, doesn't mean we support those awful Equalists." She declared angrily. Lin sighed quietly.

"Equalists?" Sato asked. "Is that what this is about? I can assure you I have nothing to do with those radicals." Lin could not use her seismic sense without revealing that she was doing so, and to use it without real evidence would be a disaster.

"Yeah, you don't know what you're talking about, Korra." The boy declared angrily.

"I overheard you on the phone. You said the Cabbage Corp investigation bought you time, and you're getting ready to strike. Explain that." Korra demanded.

"This is all just a misunderstanding, resulting from the young Avatar's overactive imagination. My number one competitor was knocked out of the game. It's providing me an opportunity to strike the market with a new line of Satomobiles. It's just business. Nothing nefarious." Lin exchanged a look with Tenzin. Silently, he asked her if they should proceed. Lin gave him the go ahead.

"In order to put all suspicions to rest, might we have a look into your factories and warehouses?" Tenzin requested. The girl sighed in annoyance and put her hands on her hips, clearly ready to throw them out, but Hiroshi stopped her.

"If you feel it's necessary, you're welcome to search all of Future Industries." Sato agreed easily. Too easily, Lin thought. Still, she gathered a few of her teams and ordered them to the Sato factories and warehouses.

As she suspected, they found nothing.

"I can't believe we didn't find anything." Korra exclaimed.

"It would appear Hiroshi is innocent." Lin commented, unconvinced.

"Okay, you did your search. Now you can all leave." The girl snapped in annoyance. Lin hummed, eying the girl suspiciously. The girl was extremely defensive for someone with nothing to hide. The boy gestured for Korra to talk with him, and Lin surveyed her workers as they cleared up, not commenting when the boy stalked by, taking the Sato girl with him, and Korra rejoined them.

"I think you guys should hear this." Korra said a few moments later, holding up a note. Lin and Tenzin turned to her in surprise. "'If you want to find the truth, meet me under the north end of the Silk Road Bridge at midnight.'"

Lin and Tenzin exchanged a glance, and Lin turned away to give orders to her team.

That night, with an airship hovering over the bridge in case of an attack, Lin accompanied Korra and Tenzin to the north end of the bridge.

The warehouse worker awaited them behind a pillar.

"Psst. Over here." He walked out into the open. "Listen, I joined the Equalists because I believed in what Amon said. I thought he could make life better for us non-benders. But I didn't sign up for this... this war." He explained. Lin hummed faintly.

"What do you have on Hiroshi Sato?" She asked.

"He manufactured those gloves for the Equalists." The man said.

"I knew it!" Korra exclaimed confidently.

"And there are rumors he's working on something even bigger. Some new kind of weapon."

"We searched all of Future Industries and found nothing." Tenzin commented, confused. Lin couldn't help but agree; he couldn't have hidden something like this from her officers.

"That's because he has a secret factory." The man explained.

"Where?" Korra demanded.

"It's right underneath the Sato Mansion." The man said grimly. Lin let out a soft gasp of shock, hearing Tenzin and Korra do the same. Underneath his mansion was a risky move. It was a good hiding place, but she could have sensed it at any time she was on the property. One of his warehouses might have been less secure, but Sato also could have led them to believe that it had been someone other than Sato himself who was at fault if they had found them there. Lin stalked away, determined to settle this tonight. Tenzin and Korra followed with a word of thanks to the man.

It wasn't until they were in the airship that Tenzin spoke.

"Raiding the Sato Mansion is a risky move with Tarrlok breathing down your neck. If we're wrong..." He said warningly.

"I know. I can kiss my job goodbye. But protecting Republic City is all I care about. We can't let Amon get his hands on this new weapon." Lin interrupted. And there was really nothing Tenzin could say to that.

"We're not wrong. That guy said there was a factory under the mansion! How could anyone misinterpret that?" Korra demanded.

"It could be a set-up, designed to have Lin lose her job." Tenzin warned.

"There's a chance it's not. And that's worth the risk." Lin said, cutting off the conversation.

They descended from the airship, and Lin signaled her troops to cover the house, and then sent a team forward, following closely.

"What are you doing here?" Asami demanded.

"We have a reason to believe that there's a factory hidden below the mansion." Lin said brusquely.

"I think I would've noticed if there were a factory underneath my house. The lies you people come up with just to persecute my father." Asami stated coldly.

"Where is your father?" Tenzin asked reasonably.

"In his workshop, behind the house." Lin's eyes narrowed. That would explain why she had never felt a space underneath the house. Lin headed outside, the children and Tenzin following closely. She signaled her officers in, but when they entered, they find no one.

"Dad? Hello?" Asami called, confused.

"Chief, the estate's been secured. No one has left the workshop since we arrived."

"Perhaps we just couldn't see him leaving." Lin said mildly, heading for the middle of the room. Metalbending the sole of her shoe back, she stepped down, sensing everything around her. She'd gotten better at this; never as good as her mother was, as she did not have to rely on the sense for sight, but good enough. "There's a tunnel beneath the workshop running deep into the mountainside." She announced.

"What? There's no tunnel!" Asami declared angrily. Lin removed the layer of metal floor, exposing the stairs and elevator below.

"Do you think your dad knows about this tunnel?" She heard the earthbender ask the girl.

"I don't understand. There must be an explanation." The girl insisted.

"Maybe you don't know everything about your father." Korra suggested, before adding a sympathetic "I'm sorry."

"Officers, into the tunnel. Be cautious." Lin ordered. The children begin to walk forward, but she stopped them. She may have been allowing Korra, who was the Avatar, under Tenzin's orders, and had already proven herself in a fight, to come, but she would not allow civilians along. "Uh-uh, you three stay up here. Officer Song, keep an eye on them." She added, speaking to a soldier who was good at following orders but horrible with unpredictability. If there was a fight, he would be better here. Song saluted her, and Lin followed her officers towards the elevator.

The second they entered the massive room, it was clear that Sato supported Amon. The giant posters were enough; the large robotic machines were worse.

"Not your average backyard workshop." Lin commented dryly.

"And I'm guessing those are the new weapons." Korra said, gesturing to the machines.

"Hiroshi was lying alright, but where is he?" Tenzin asked. A metal wall shot up behind them, blocking the entrance. Immediately, Lin attempted to bend it away to clear an exit.

"I'm afraid you won't be able to metalbend that wall, Chief Bei Fong." Green lights came on, blinding them temporarily. "It's solid platinum." The machines began moving, approaching them, and Lin could only just see their drivers. "My mecha tanks are platinum as well. Not even your renowned mother could bend a metal so pure." No, Lin had to admit, glaring at Sato's figure inside one of the tanks, her mother had not been able to bend platinum, and her father had teased her mother about it whenever she tried. Something even the Great Toph Bei Fong couldn't do, he would say. She shook the thought away.

"Hiroshi, I knew you were a lying, no good Equalist! Come out here and…" Korra demanded angrily.

"And do what, young Avatar? Face the wrath of your bending? No. I think I'll fight from inside here where my odds are a little more... equal." That was when it had clicked with Lin that they had been set up.

"That source was a set-up! You lured us down here!" She watched the machines approach, surrounding them further.

"Guilty as charged." Sato agreed. And thus, the battle began. Her officers held their own, the tanks susceptible to being tied up, but no bending worked on the things and there were too many of them to fight effectively. Their cables sparked and began to overheat, and her officers began to lose their holds. Then the machines began to electrocute the officers. Lin was grabbed from behind, and knocked against a metal beam, causing her vision to spin. Then, she was flying, and another bump to her head caused her to fall unconscious.

When she regained consciousness, the other children had joined them.

"Let's get out of here." The firebender insisted. Running, Lin noticed they were missing her officers. She closed her eyes briefly in realization but stumbled through the exit, hearing the earthbender close the hole behind them. Tenzin ushered her into the airship, forcing her to lie down. She demanded that he tell her everything that happened while she was unconscious, and she slumped further and further as he did, confirming her awful suspicions. Her officers were on their way to Amon.

"My metalbenders are on their way to Amon, and it's all my fault. Tarrlok's right, I've failed as chief. First thing in the morning, I'm handing in my resignation." She told him, mind racing. She had failed as chief, had dishonored her mother who would never have let her officers be captured, and she would make sure that she atoned for it, as best she could.

"No! You can't give up like this!" Tenzin demanded. Lin sat up, face set.

"I'm not giving up. I'm gonna find my officers and take Amon down. But I'm gonna do it my way, outside the law." Tenzin looked at her with concern, knowing how much she hated vigilantes. She ignored him, turning away.

When they landed, Tenzin insisted on escorting her to the hospital, telling her that he'd take care of all the official business. She pretended to give in, but stayed only long enough for the healers to take care of her concussion before she checked herself out. The bruises would heal with time.

To her dismay, she was stumbling by the time she got into her home and collapsed on her bed. Clearly, she thought before she fell asleep, she was hurt worse than she thought. Then, everything went black.

Lin sent word the next morning of her resignation, and spent the next few days in bed, unable to move. Through the radio, she heard of Saikhan's appointment as chief, and his vow to support Tarrlok's task force. It was through the radio that she learned of the imprisonment of the Avatar's friends. She scoffed to herself, knowing that Tenzin would get them out, and turned away.

It was also through the radio that she learned she was needed, despite the fact that her wounds had only just begun to fully heal.

"…We interrupt your regularly scheduled broadcast to bring you this special report. Late last night, Equalists attacked City Hall..." Tenzin was Lin's first thought as she sat up abruptly "...subduing Councilman Tarrlok and capturing Avatar Korra. Details are still coming in, b…" Lin turned the radio off. Korra had been captured. Tenzin was safe, they would have mentioned him, but Korra needed her. Slowly, testing her limbs, she rose out of the bed. Her arm cried out in pain, and she groaned slightly, clutching the limb. Slowly, carefully, she headed for the cabinet where she kept her uniform. She hadn't turned it in yet, but that didn't matter now. Turning around, she bent the armor over her body. Glancing down, the police insignia shone on her chest. She tore it off quickly, not allowing herself to think about it, knowing that it was not hers to wear anymore. She shrugged into her coat and headed for the police station. Hopefully, she would meet Tenzin there.

She didn't. Her officers, not hers anymore, didn't even notice her entering, so panicked were they by recent events. She sneered, knowing they never would have dared such a lapse in judgment had she still been in charge. She headed to the holding cells, bending the bottom of her shoe back to search for the Sato girl and the bending brothers. The girl is closest, and Lin bent the door off the cell.

"Hope you got enough beauty rest. Come on, I'm busting you out." She said.

"Thanks. I owe you." The girl said, smiling at her for the first time. Lin rolled her eyes and led her down to where the boys were. She easily bent the door aside and Asami rushed in.

"Asami!" The firbender exclaimed, kissing her.

"Ahh!" The earthbender was using the toilet in the corner. "A little privacy, please!" The boy insisted indignantly. Lin couldn't help but be amused, wondering if the boy would rather she left him here. His brother ignored him.

"Are you all right?" He asked the girl.

"I'm fine! It's so good to see you." She cooed. Lin rolled her eyes.

"Hate to break up your lovers' reunion, but Korra's in trouble. Amon captured her." She said abruptly. _You've never been known for your tact, Linny,_ she heard Bumi snicker in her mind. She brushed that off as the kids reacted with horror, especially the firebender.

"Come on, we have an Avatar to rescue." Lin dismissed. The three teens bolt from the cell, and Lin decided to let her amusement win for one moment. She used her bending to zip the earthbender's trousers. "Your fly was down." She informed him.

"Thanks for catching that." The boy said, mortified.

"Where are we headed?" The firebender asked.

"Tenzin will be at his office. We'll go there to see if he has any leads." Lin informed them, striding forward. As she suspected, Tenzin was on the phone when they walked in.

"I have to go. Call me back the minute you hear anything." He says to whomever he was talking. "Lin? Wh-wh-what are y- What are y- You should be in the hospital! And you three!" He points to the children incredulously. "You should be in prison!" Lin rolled her eyes as his shock.

"I figured you could use our help finding Korra." She told him.

"Do you have any leads?" The firebender asked anxiously.

"I've been on the phone all morning, but nothing yet." Tenzin said grimly.

"We need Naga! She can track Korra." Mako suggested eagerly. Lin narrowed her eyes in confusion.

"I'm afraid her polar bear dog is missing as well." Tenzin said, shooting down the idea and enlightening Lin to the name of the animal.

"Then where do we start?" The earthbender asked. Lin had not been idle in her thoughts during her rest, however.

"My guess is the Equalists are hiding underground, in the maze of tunnels beneath the city." She said.

"Underground... just like my father's secret factory. Figures." The girl muttered bitterly.

"Yeah! Yeah, that makes sense! When those chi-blockers had me in their truck, it sounded like we drove into a tunnel!" The earthbender exclaimed. Lin blinked, having forgotten that the boy had almost been stripped of his bending.

"I know where to start looking! Come on!" The children rushed from the room, but Lin felt the need to explain to Tenzin.

"Wherever Amon is keeping Korra, I bet that's where my officers are too."

"Let's bring them all home, Lin." Tenzin soothed, placing a hand on her shoulder. She shrugged it off and headed after the kids. Tenzin escorted them all to Oogi, and followed the firebender's directions, eventually landing in a deserted street.

"The truck with Bolin took off down this alley." The boy said, leading them to the next intersection.

"Which way?" The girl asked.

"Hmm. This way kinda... smells familiar." The earthbender said. Lin frowned faintly, promising herself that she would teach the boy seismic sense at least, if not metalbending, when this was over. He was vastly undertrained for someone who was friends with the Avatar. Lin bent the sole of her shoe back, reaching out to the ground around them.

"There's a tunnel nearby." Lin informed them, setting off towards it.

"There!" the firebender declared.

"Motorcycle tracks." Lin noticed aloud, inspecting the ground.

"Korra has to be in there... somewhere." The firebender insisted hopefully. Lin bent the gate open, and they headed into the dark tunnel, fire lighting the way. They came to an intersection and paused. "Let's try this way." The boy said, pointing.

"And what if Korra's not down there?" The girl asked.

"Then we pick another tunnel until we find her!" The boy snapped. They continued on, the girl dropping back to walk with the earthbender. Lin heard them talking, but didn't pay attention to the words. Instead, she listened closely for noise coming from either end of the tunnel. When she heard the growl of motorcycles heading towards them, she commanded them to hide sharply. They followed the Equalist pair that appeared, slipping through the doors that Lin forced open, and approached the large open space filled with Equalists and supplies. One Equalist was clearly in charge, holding a clipboard and directing the others.

"That tram goes to the training camp." He instructed, walking to a tram that has just arrived.

"Everything was delivered to the prison, sir." The woman announced.

"That's where they must be keeping Korra." Tenzin whispered as both Equalists walk away.

"We need to get down that tunnel." Lin agreed. She signaled to the group, and they all run to the tram. Once they are all aboard, Lin forced the tram to move down the tunnel. As they approached the end, they saw lights flashing and an alarm. Lin hissed for the others to jump, guessing they've been alerted to intruders.

"It's empty!" One of the awaiting Equalists announced, confused. Lin hummed to herself, finding that the alert was there to announce the tram's arrival. If they knew there were intruders, there would have been more of a welcome committee.

"Yeah, I can see that." The other Equalist said sarcastically. Lin reached forward with her cables, dragging them inside the tunnel and knocking them against the wall. She tied them up, and the brothers set them against the wall.

"You two, keep an eye on them." She instructed the playful earthbender and the rich heiress. Neither would be a true loss if it came to a fight. She bent her shoe back, and searched the prison. "My officers are inside." She announced with relief. If the earthbender had been here, and her officers were still here, perhaps they had not yet had their bending taken from them.

"What about Korra?" The firebender asked.

"I don't see her yet." Lin admitted, heading for where her officers were being held. She might not be too late. Tenzin took out the two Equalists preparing to attack them, and Lin barely noticed the firebender's rush towards them as she entered the cell where her officers are kept. She saw the expressions on her officers' faces, and she knew that she was too late.

"Chief Bei Fong?" Officer Ling asked wearily.

"I'm too late. That monster already took your bending, didn't he?" She asked hopelessly. Ling nodded, and Lin looked away, ashamed.

"I'm so sorry." Then she shook it off, knowing that none of them would want pity. "Come on; let's get you out of here." They followed her and she headed toward Tenzin and the boy, silently scanning with both feet as she walked.

"I scanned the entire prison. Korra's not here." Lin informed them.

"Why would Tarrlok make up a story about getting attacked?" the boy demanded.

"Because he has Korra. He fooled us all!" Tenzin growled. Lin's eyes narrowed. A siren went off and the group raced back to the other two children.

"Let's go, people!" The earthbender hurried. They piled onto the tram, and Lin sent it forward. From behind them, another tram tried to catch up. Even as she sent them faster, the earthbender collapsed the sides of the tunnel behind them. Lin felt his potential surge as he bent, and it reinforced her determination to teach him. "Try to chi-block that, fools!" He jeered. Lin's attention diverted as she noticed the army of Equalists awaiting them, along with mecha tanks.

"We've got more company!" She announced, bending a rail from the ceiling onto the track. "Hang on!" Lin bent a hole in the ceiling, and another hole in that ceiling, sending them flying into the daylight.

Tenzin sent a message out to the members of the City Council once they were at City Hall, and to Chief Saikhan. She heard her officers' exclamations at the news that she was no longer Chief, but she ignored their protests as she ushered them to the hospital. She returned just as the last Councilman, excluding Tarrlok, went into the chamber and followed Tenzin into the room.

"Thank you all for meeting us on such short notice." Tenzin said graciously.

"Chief." Lin addressed Saikhan coldly, unable to stop the resentment that wells up in her. From what she'd seen, he had not been doing her job properly, and she did not like him in the first place. He was one of the officers who had resented her swift rise to power.

"Lin." He said, just as coldly.

"Have you news of Avatar Korra?" Tarrlok asked from behind them. Tenzin spun, fury lining his face.

"We do. You kidnapped her, Tarrlok!" Tenzin accused.

"I am shocked you would accuse me of such an evil act! I already explained: Equalists attacked us and took her!" Tarrlok defended innocently.

"But there were no chi-blockers here last night. You planted the evidence, didn't you?" Tenzin accused.

"That is a ridiculous accusation!" Tarrlok growled angrily.

"It's true!" A page shouted from behind a pillar and the balcony above the room. "He took her! I was here when Avatar Korra arrived last night, but Councilman Tarrlok ordered me to leave. I was on my way out when I saw Tarrlok bring her down to the garage."

"That is nonsense! Everyone knows you're nothing but a squeaky-voiced liar!" Tarrlok roared, causing the page to cower behind the pillar.

"Why did you wait until now to 'fess up?" Lin demands, looking at the page.

"I was terrified to tell because...because Tarrlok is a bloodbender! He bloodbent Avatar Korra!" The page explained shakily.

"Don't make this worse for yourself." Tenzin warned, taking an airbending stance. "Tell us where you have Korra." Lin took her stance as well, ready to back Tenzin up, but as she started to bend, she felt pain crash over her body. She couldn't move, couldn't breathe, could only watch helplessly as her own body was turned against her. It was almost a relief when she fell unconscious.

She was the first to wake, the firebender close behind her. She slapped Tenzin, waking him, as the boy helped the girl. The earthbender began moving behind her.

"Ughh! Man! I had this awful dream that Korra was taken by this evil bloodbender. So weird." He complained.

"Bolin, that really happened. He knocked us out." The girl said dryly.

"Are you serious? Where is he? Is he here right now?" The boy demanded, shocked.

"Tarrlok is long gone. I'll alert the whole force." Saikhan said, leaving with the council members.

"We've only been out for a little while. Maybe we can still pick up Tarrlok's trail." Lin demanded, ignoring Saikhan.

"It could lead us to Korra! Let's go." Tenzin agreed. They all head to Oogi, flying around Republic City in hope of spotting Tarrlok. Instead, they hear a howl.

"That sounds like Naga!" The firebender announced, causing Tenzin to guide Oogi into a turn. "Down there!" Lin and Tenzin darted to Korra, who was leaning against her polar bear dog.

"Korra! Oh, thank goodness." Tenzin exclaimed.

"Where's Tarrlok? How did you get away?" Lin demanded. The firebender shoved both her and Tenzin to the side.

"Give her some space!" He snapped, pulling Korra into his arms and heading for Oogi. Lin glanced at Tenzin, but he shrugged faintly. They all got on the bison and headed for Air Temple Island. On the way, Tenzin assured Korra, upon finding that the girl had not been fed, that Pema would feed her once they returned.

So as soon as the landed, Korra was escorted into the dining hall, and everyone sat around her. Pema exclaimed her relief at Korra's well-being and served food for the hungry Avatar.

"Mmm. Mmm. The food tastes amazing, Pema. I'm finally starting to feel like myself again." The girl mumbled, cleaning her plate.

"We're so thankful you're home safe." Pema assured her soothingly, standing to take the plate.

"Let me help." The Sato girl insisted, standing.

"Korra, I realize you've been through a lot, but I need to know everything that happened." Tenzin spoke up, finally saying what Lin had wanted to.

"Well, first off, Tarrlok isn't who he says he is. He's Yakone's son." Lin jerked slightly, exchanging a shocked glance with Tenzin. She had not heard that name since her mother had finally explained the case that had required Katara and Kya's help when Lin was eight.

"It all makes sense now. That's how Tarrlok was able to bloodbend us without a full moon." Lin murmured.

"But how did you escape? And where's Tarrlok?" Tenzin asked, voicing the questions Lin had asked earlier.

"Amon captured him, and took his bending." Korra explained seriously.

"What?" Tenzin demanded, shocked.

"Yeah, he showed up out of nowhere. He almost got me, too." Korra explained.

"This is very disturbing news. Amon is becoming emboldened. Taking out a councilman, almost capturing the Avatar... I fear Amon is entering his endgame." Tenzin said worriedly. Lin couldn't help but frown, knowing what Tenzin was thinking. If Amon was confident enough to take out the chairman of the City Council, he might be bold enough to attack Tenzin's family. Clearly worried, Tenzin rose from the table and left. Lin frowned faintly, but rose as well, following him. She came up behind him and began walking beside him.

"Lin, um, I, I- I need to ask you a favor. It would mean the world to me... but I-I know it could be a- a potentially awkward situation; furthermore..." He stammered.

"Spit it out already!" She snapped.

"Will you stay here and watch over Pema and the children while I meet with the council? With everything that has happened lately, I want to be sure my family is in safe hands." He explained. Lin felt herself soften and placed a hand on Tenzin's shoulder.

"Of course I'll help, old friend." She told him. Just then, Pema walked up with Tenzin's son in her arms.

"I didn't realize you two were out here." She said with suspicion. Lin couldn't help but feel just a tiny bit smug at the hint of insecurity.

"Pema! Ye- yes- yes, Lin has agreed to help out around here and keep an eye on things while I'm away." Tenzin stammered.

"Thank you! I could use the extra pair of hands." The woman thrust the laughing child into Lin's arms. "Would you mind giving him a bath? He's filthy." Lin couldn't help but feel disgusted as the child blows a raspberry, still laughing. Tenzin quickly mounts Oogi, running from her rage.

"This is not what I signed on for!" She yelled after him.

"Thank you, Lin. Oogi, yip yip!" Tenzin fled quickly, and Lin turned back to the child, who is picking his nose.

"I gotta poo!" He insisted, causing Lin to hold him farther from herself. "Really bad!" Of course, then he grunts and Lin bends her metal cable around his waist, telling herself that she would disinfect it later. Disgusted, she carried him away, searching for someone else to take care of the child.

It was only a short time later that explosions begin going off, as Equalist airships begin heading for the Island. The attack on Republic City had begun, and they were using the distraction to attack Air Temple Island.

"All right, kids, time to go inside." Lin urged Tenzin's children. Korra and the others rushed out as the younger ones headed inside.

"We heard explosions, what's going on?" Korra asked worriedly.

"Republic City is under attack." Lin informs them grimly, watching the approach of the ever-nearer airships. The White Lotus sentries waited at the top of the stone steps, ready to confront the first Equalists to disembark.

"Everyone, hide inside and remain calm." Suddenly, Pema screamed. Lin spun on the woman, furious at her for reacting like that when there were frightened children to care for. "Pull it together, Pema! Didn't I just say 'remain calm'?" Lin demanded.

"Mommy, what's wrong?" the younger girl asked the woman, who was clutching her stomach. Lin felt a moment of panic for Tenzin's unborn child.

"The baby's coming!" Pema gasped.

"Oh no!" The oldest girl exclaimed, a hand covering her mouth.

"Not now, baby!" The boy insisted ridiculously. Two of the acolytes ushered Pema inside, the children watching in concern. As Lin saw the Acolytes usher the children to safety, she turned her attention to the battle that had just broken out, the first Equalists having reached the sentries guarding the steps. Lin waited in the courtyard, her duty to the children. Using her cables and her bending, she managed to take out the first Equalists to reach her. Unfortunately, one Equalist managed to intercept her cables and sent a bolt of electricity through her. The combination of the pain and the irritation of her old injuries sent her to the ground. The Equalist stood above her, ready to strike, and all she could think was that she had failed.

"Stay away from my dad's ex-girlfriend!" The elder girl shouted, gliding in and using the staff to blow the man away from Lin.

"Jinora! You shouldn't be out here!" Lin snapped, though relieved that the girl had been. The next girl arrived on an air scooter, and knocks several Equalists over.

"Get off our island!" She shouted, knocking down several more before joining Lin and her sister.

"Girls! You need to go back inside this instant!" Lin snarled. Of course, the boy just had to show up next.

"Taste my fury!" He shouted, farting in the face of an Equalist, knocking the man unconscious.

"Meelo! Be careful!" Lin exclaimed worriedly as the other Equalists closed in. Of course, the disgusting boy managed to take care of himself, sending the remaining Equalists flying. "Never mind." She said dryly. She bound the Equalists quickly, ensuring that they didn't wake up before she could secure them.

"Take these Equalists and lock them in the temple's basement!" She ordered. "Nice work, kids." She added faintly. Oogi's grunt gives her a sense of relief as the children race to their father.

"Dad!" Jinora shouted.

"Oh, thank goodness you're all right!" Tenzin exclaimed.

"We caught the bad guys." Meelo announced as he climbed onto Tenzin's shoulders.

"You let them fight? Do you realize what could have happened?" Tenzin demanded, reminding Lin of Katara.

"I would have been toast if it weren't for your kids. You should be proud. You taught them well. Go on, be with your wife." She gestured toward the house. Just then, the cry of a baby was heard and Tenzin bolted. Lin paused, watching the sky. Unfortunately for the family, more airships were approaching.

"What're you gonna name him? Can I pick?" Jinora asked from inside the room.

"We already chose a name." Pema said, resting her head on Tenzin's shoulder.

"Rohan." Tenzin announced quietly. It was Korra who broke up the moment between the family.

"I'm so sorry to interrupt, but more airships are coming." Korra said sadly.

"Everything's not gonna be fine, is it, Daddy?" The younger girl asked worriedly.

"Stay with your mother." Tenzin instructed, following Lin, Korra and the firebender outside.

"What do you want to do, Tenzin?" Korra asked.

"I need to protect my family, and get them as far away from this conflict as possible. If Amon got his hands on my children... I hate to even think of it." Lin nodded silently.

"If you're leaving, then I'm going with you." She said bluntly.

"But…" Tenzin protested.

"No arguments. You and your family are the last airbenders. There's no way in the world I'm letting Amon take your bending away." She informed him.

"Thank you, Lin. Korra, I want you to leave this island and hide for the time being." He ordered.

"I'm not giving up." Korra denied, determined.

"I'm not asking you to. I sent word to the United Forces. They will be here soon. And once my family is safe, I will return. With the reinforcements, we can turn the tide in this war." Tenzin told her. Lin felt her heart leap. Bumi was coming.

"What you're saying is, we need to be patient." Korra sighed.

"You're learning well." Korra brightened and Tenzin turned away. Together, Lin and Tenzin hurried the airbender family onto Oogi. "Stay safe." Tenzin told the girl.

"You too." Korra responded.

"Tenzin, if we're leaving, we better do it now." Lin shouted from Oogi's saddle. He airbent himself to Oogi's neck.

"Oogi, yip yip!" Tenzin ordered. Lin watched Korra dove into the water on Naga before turning her attention to the airships, which were now pursuing them.

"They're gaining on us!" Lin shouted to Tenzin.

"Faster, Oogi!" Tenzin urged. A large net approached, but Lin broke it apart with her cables. Silently, she turned and observed the scared family behind her. The children were curled around their mother, who held the baby close. She glanced back at the ships, knowing what she had to do. She remembered her mother's near death due to airships in the last war, and could only hope that her mother's luck held true for her. Even if she didn't fall and die, she would eventually be captured, and her bending stolen. She closed her eyes briefly, feeling the grief well up in her, but it would be worth it for Tenzin's family. She turned back to the head of the bison. Tenzin would not have to live with the guilt of leaving her behind.

"Whatever happens to me, don't turn back." She ordered him. He turned.

"Lin, what are you doing?!" He demanded, but she ignored him, running and jumping. She landed hard on the closest airship, jumping up and beginning to rip the metal skin. It began to fall, and she catapulted herself to the next. She didn't allow herself time to think, didn't allow herself time to focus on the pain searing her skin from metal colliding with skin, only focusing on the task ahead of her. As she began to rip apart this airship, Equalists electrocuted her from behind, and everything went black.

When she wakes up, she is forced from the airship, which has touched down on Air Temple Island. She is forced to kneel before Amon.

"Tell me where the Avatar is and I'll let you keep your bending." All she feels is a rush of relief that Korra has not been captured.

"I won't tell you anything, you monster." She snarls at him defiantly.

"Very well." Amon says simply. He moves around behind her. Silently, Lin closes her eyes, digging deep into the earth, feeling the rain pound onto the stone beneath her, feeling the creatures scurrying about for shelter. In that moment, she is sure her mother is proud of her.

Then her head is yanked up and the feeling is yanked from her abruptly. The earth is silent and still. Her body is numb, in shock, and she falls to the ground face first. She allows herself the tears, knowing they cannot be distinguished from the rain.


	5. The Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The War is over and Bumi is back in the picture.

It was over. Amon was revealed to the Equalists as a waterbender, and then had fled with Tarrlok.

Lin stands on Air Temple Island with Tenzin and his family, and Korra and her friends. The war is over.

Lin lets her hands rest on Korra's shoulders, saddened.

"I can't believe Amon got you too." She tells the Avatar sadly, seeing the same emptiness in the girl's eyes that she felt in her heart. Hopefully, Katara will be able to help.

"Hey, at least you unlocked your airbending!" The earthbender puts in brightly. Everyone turns to glare at him, and even the ferret chitters at him disapprovingly.

"Bro, not the time." The firebender points out warningly.

"Right, right, I'll just stand over here… quietly… in silence." The boy says sheepishly, backing away and placing his hands over his mouth. Lin can't help but feel a bit of amusement, and wishes Bumi was here to enjoy the teenage drama.

As though on cue, several ships enter the bay. Tenzin and his family join them, leaving their family huddle.

"Who do you think it is?" Pema asks Lin quietly. The Forces banners hang from the ship.

"Do you see the dragon on the front of the lead ship?" Lin comments, a smile playing at the corner of her mouth.

"Yay! Uncle Bumi's here!" Ikki cries, recognizing The Dancing Dragon at the same time as her mother.

"Waaaaaahhoooooo!" Bumi yells from the head of his ship, clapping his hands together.

"Great, now I have to entertain my brother." Lin hears Tenzin mutter. She smirks faintly, remembering how much trouble Bumi always caused for Tenzin.

When he disembarks, Lin is the first person he approaches, scooping her up and spinning her around. Despite herself, a small smile blooms on her face as she wraps her arms around his neck.

"Linny my love, you're looking as gorgeous as ever." He declares playfully, setting her down. She rolls her eyes at him and his grin broadens. "Come on, admit it! You missed me." He urges.

"Not a bit, Sasquatch." She denies, smiling. "It's been almost peaceful without you around." He laughs easily.

"Peaceful, you say? That's not the way I've heard it." He waves his arms around wildly, gesturing to the peaceful bay. "I get here and all the fun stuff's already happened." He's pouting playfully, and even after everything that's happened she can't help but laugh. Now that he's got her laughing, he moves on to his brother, whom he pulls into a headlock.

"BUMI!" Tenzin roars.

"Baby T! Great to see you, little bro. Been too long." Bumi declares, grinning as he pulls back.

"Not long enough." Tenzin grumbles, straightening his clothes with a rush of air.

"Uncle Bumi! Uncle Bumi! Did you bring me anything? Is it cute and cuddly? Do you get to travel all over the world? Have you been to the North Pole? What about South Pole? Have you ever visited an air temple? Was it dirty there?" Tenzin's younger daughter jumps up and down as she asks question after question.

"Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, no." Bumi answers easily without hesitation. It takes the smaller girl a moment to even remember her questions, but when she does, she squeals.

"You brought me something? What is it? What is it?" All of the children perk up immediately. Easily, he hands out presents from the bag at his waist, while the adults watch fondly. Tenzin objects when Bumi gives Meelo a toy sword but Bumi waves him off while the boy swings the thing around wildly. 'Just like his father,' Lin thinks mildly. Tenzin's guilty look and Bumi's dark expression tells her they're thinking the same thing, but neither let on to the children.

Finally, the children stop bombarding their uncle, running off to enjoy his gifts, and Bumi glances around. A frown appears on his face.

"Why so gloomy?" He asks, confused. He looks to Lin, but she avoids his eyes. Amon took my bending. She wants to say it aloud, wants to confide in her best friend, but she can't bear to admit it aloud. She had not had to tell the others; they had understood the situation just fine. "Lin?" His voice prods her, sensing the attention on her, but she still can't speak.

"Bumi, maybe you and I should take a walk." She hears Tenzin say quietly, seeing him place a hand on Bumi's arm to guide him away from the corner of her eye.

"Yeah, okay, let's do that." Bumi agrees suspiciously. When they are out of hearing distance, Lin stands abruptly and heads for the house. Korra, Pema, and the bending brothers follow her silently.

"I'd best get the children packing." Pema says quietly, heading past them. "You four should do your own packing. It'll be cold in the South." The boys head inside, but Korra hesitates.

"Bei Fong?"

"Yes?" Lin asks curtly.

"Are you and Commander Bumi…close?" The girl asks hesitantly. Lin snorts at the clear supposition.

"Bumi and I are best friends. We have been since we were children."

"Oh."

"Lin?" She hears Bumi call before the girl can say anything else.

"I'll just…" Korra says, gesturing inside. Lin dismisses her with a jerk of her head, and waits. Bumi approaches at a jog, and she can see the worry in his eyes. She says nothing.

"Come with me." He says abruptly, taking her hand and leading her away. She allows him to drag her to the cliffs at the other end of the island. They'd often sat here as children, during times when neither really had the enthusiasm to play. They'd only discovered the spot due to her parents' preference for cliffs for serious talks.

Lin sits like she used to, slipping off her shoes and pressing her feet into the side of the cliff. Unlike every other time, the earth is silent to her. There's no sound, no vibrations. Bumi sits next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her into him. She turns her head into him, burying her face in his neck. His beard tickles the side of her face, but she doesn't move.

"Mom's the best healer in the world. If anyone can fix this, she can." Bumi murmurs. "Don't give up just yet."

"I know." Lin agrees quietly. "I just…I've lost the only things left that tied me to her. The police force, my bending." She chokes on the word. Knowing he's noticed, she confesses. "I feel like something's missing. Like an arm or leg was cut off and I reach out to use it and it's not there anymore. Everything feels dead, because I can't feel the pulse there anymore."

She hears the tears in her voice, but she knows Bumi won't mention them. And he doesn't. He's quiet for a moment, and then he pulls back, reaching for her wrist. She lets him press her hand against his chest, feeling the thump of his heart. She can't help but dig her fingers into his shirt, feeling the vibrations his heart makes. It's a pulse that she'd usually feel through the earth, but feeling it at all is a relief.

And just like that, without saying a single word, he's made her feel better.

"Thank you." She whispers, pressing her cheek against his shoulder, hand still pressed against his chest.

"Any time." He murmurs. Then he pulls back again and gets to his feet, offering his hands to her. She rolls her eyes, but allows him to pull her up. He hugs her once more before grabbing her hand and leading her back to the others. She uses her other hand to wipe the evidence of the tears away. Halfway back, he starts making her laugh.

At the South Pole, Lin insists that no one tell Katara about her loss of bending until Korra is healed. The Avatar needs her bending a lot more than Lin does, and Lin doesn't want Katara to hold back in order to save some of her energy for Lin. They wait for hours alongside Korra's parents, as Katara labors fruitlessly.

Finally, Katara returns.

"I've tried everything in my power, but, I cannot restore Korra's bending." Katara announces sadly. Lin can't help herself, feeling irrational despite Katara's clear exhaustion.

"But you're the best healer in the world, you have to keep trying!"

"I'm sorry, there's nothing else I can do. Korra can still airbend, but her connection to the other elements has been severed." Lin can't help but feel dispirited, and Bumi is gone to get food so he is not here to cheer her up.

"It's going to be all right Korra." Tenzin murmurs to the girl who has just entered the room.

"No, it's not." Korra says angrily, leaving the house. Lin allows herself to slump as the firebender and Tenzin follow Korra.

When Bumi re-enters the room, he heads for Katara. Lin watches as his fists clench before he stalks over to her and leads her out of the room without another word to his mother. She sees Pema walk to Katara and turns away before she can see Katara's reaction. Instead, she follows Bumi blindly out into the courtyard.

"Linny." His voice pleads with her, and she raises her eyes to meet his. "It's going to be alright." She nods, but she doesn't really believe it. All her hope has fled with Katara's admission of helplessness.

"What am I going to do?" She asks him quietly.

"Actually, I had an idea about that. I want to…" He begins, but a soft roar causes both of their heads to snap to where Korra and the firebender are returning on the polar-bear dog. Korra is beaming, and Lin can't help but feel her heart jump. Tenzin, standing just out of earshot of Lin and Bumi, rushes forward to meet them.

"I did it! I connected with Aang! He restored my bending!" Korra is yelling, a beaming grin on her face and tears tracking her cheeks. Lin smiles faintly. Then, Korra spots her. "Chief Bei Fong!" Korra rushes forward, throwing her arms around Lin. Lin stiffens, startled. "He showed me how to give someone's bending back! I can help you, and everyone else in Republic City!" Korra exclaims. Lin is stunned, unable to respond.

"Tenzin? What's going on?" The others have reached the doorway, and Lin knows what this means. It's time for the Avatar to put on her first show.

"Korra," Lin murmurs, "you need to go to the pavilion. I'll join you in a moment." Korra looks to her, confused, but does so. Lin glances at Tenzin, who nods. Lin catches a glance of Bumi slipping off before heading towards Korra with a twinge of sadness.

Lin kneels before Korra, and feels the power radiating through her veins as Korra reaches the Avatar State. Then, she feels the first tugs of life under her feet and smiles. She stands, lifting several large rocks into the air. She can see the others staring in awe, especially the earthbender. She allows the rocks to settle before turning to Korra.

"Thank you." They bow, and Lin steps away.

"…so proud of you, Avatar Korra." Lin hears Tenzin say as she slips away after Bumi. She peels back her shoe, setting her foot on the icy ground for a brief moment before tracking his vibrations. She finds him quickly.

"Bumi?" She says quietly, watching as he moves through a sword set. He pauses, lowering the sword and turning to her.

"Hey. Everything okay now?" He asks. She nods and steps forward. He settles easily, eyes watching her.

"What's wrong?" She asks him, noticing his unnatural stillness and the darkness present in his eyes.

"Nothing. Just thinking about some things." He dismisses, shifting on his feet. "Ready to go?" She's confused for a moment before she smiles, remembering their tradition.

"I'd forgotten." She admits. He grins at her and grabs her arm, beginning to drag her off. "Shouldn't we…"

"They'll figure it out." He dismisses.

"What are you two doing?" Tenzin's disapproving voice interrupts them, and Bumi's shoulders slump in exaggerated despair. Lin rolls her eyes at her companion, turning to where Tenzin is surrounded by Korra, the two brothers, and the girl.

"Now that's a silly question." Bumi says mockingly. "Where do we always go when we're together in the poles?" Tenzin glares.

"You cannot be serious! The two of you are too old to be doing something so foolish! Lin has only just regained use of her bending! Lin!" The last is an exclamation when Lin pitches a rock at his head.

"Oh shut up, airhead." She scoffs. "Don't bring me into your brotherly squabbles."

"What are you guys doing?" Korra asked curiously.

"Snowsliding." Bumi said proudly.

"Err…" Korra said uncertainly. Lin rolled her eyes and turned away, heading off.

"Lin! Bumi!" Tenzin snaps, stalking after them. The children follow, but neither Lin nor Bumi pay them any mind. Bumi practically skips along at her side as they headed away from the compound and into the mountains. Tenzin follows along, grumbling about them getting killed.

"Oh, can it, T. Seriously, you suck the fun out of everything." Bumi complains finally. The two brothers begin to bicker, so it's a huge relief to Lin when they finally get high enough. She easily bends a piece of earth large enough for two and jumps on, balancing on her feet.

"You have got to be kidding me." The firebender says in disbelief as Lin looks toward the slope.

"That is awesome." The earthbender cries. Korra looks like she agrees.

"See you when we get back, kids." Bumi teases, hopping on behind Lin. The force of his movement sends the rock skidding forward on the ice. It pauses at the edge of the slope, and Lin leans forward slightly. They shoot forward, rock bouncing. The wind rushes past them, tugging at their clothes, nipping at their skin. Lin feels a rush of exhilaration, which is only heightened by Bumi's arms around her.

This is freedom. Not Tenzin's version: flying thousands of feet in the air, with nothing to catch you. Freedom is being surrounded by earth and snow, sliding down a mountain with Bumi. Freedom is Bumi holding her even though their feet are securely buried in the earth they're sliding on.

For the first time in years, she is home.


End file.
